To Follow Her Own Path
by quirky21
Summary: Sequel to SAWP. The story of Anise Barrows continues as she struggles to survive, stop the T-virus, and save those she loves, including our favorite tough girl, Rain. Questions are answered, zombies terrorize the world, and stuff happens... Big, splashy, fun, important stuff that you really want to read about...
1. Raccoon City

This fabulous story is the sequel to Spice and Atmospheric Water Phenomena. I highly recommend you read that first, if you haven't already. The continuing story of Anise Barrows cannot stand by itself and is a direct tie to SAWP. Unlike the previous story, I don't have this one completed already. I intend it to be much longer and far more in depth with original plots, characters, and storyline.

Standard disclaimers apply. If I owned Resident Evil, then I'd be driving a much nicer Jeep than the one I own, Rain would have lived, and at least one lesbian character would have made her way into the films.

Rated M for violence, language, gore, and sexual themes.

chapter 1 revised 28Apr2013 - Thanks to my mom for her help with cleaning up and revising the story. Even though reading this story out loud to her can get a little awkward sometimes, her support is invaluable. I would take all the awkwardness in the world to keep the awesome relationship I have with her.

* * *

**Part I:**

_**One Step at a Time**_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_**Raccoon City**_

All Anise really wanted to do was punch the guy in his face. She missed Rain, who would have already done it. For about the thousandth time, she wondered what had happened to the feisty soldier and the others. No one could tell her. Or wouldn't.

Buck, because he liked the nickname, and she really thought that Gerald did not fit him, mouthed _don't_ at her. She sighed. Punching Nate, although satisfying, would start a fight, and he would yell loud enough to attract every fucking zombie inside Raccoon City. Knowing the guy for less than two hours, and already well aware of what an ass he was, really gave her a headache. If he was anything less than a perfect shot with his high caliber rifle, she would have left his bitchy ass behind a long time ago. As it was, she needed his help to get her little band of survivors through the city. So, she bit her cheek and kept silent about his latest remark on her tits.

It had turned out that Buck was Doc Belst's nephew. Anise had taken him under her wing. The boy was loyal and well trained with his pistol and combat knife. He listened to what she said, had a sly sense of humor, and only complained occasionally. It was also great that he could carry Anise when her weakened body gave out on her. Umbrella had sewn her back together, and she was healing, although slowly, very slowly. Her body was exhausted from trying to replace more than half of her blood, healing her numerous other injuries, and exorbitant amounts of physical and mental stress. She wanted to curl up and sleep until the next century.

Anise flexed her damaged hand. It throbbed and complained. Scabs and tender new flesh hid beneath the bandaging. She was still far from whole, but she wasn't going to let little things like missing chunks of flesh or just barely surviving mortal injuries keep her from being useful. Anise had picked up a sturdy aluminum baseball bat to help keep the zombies at bay. Only problem was, wielding her impromptu weapon with her left hand was awkward, since her injured right hand was her dominant. Buck stayed close to her side, nominating himself her personal bodyguard. She hated to admit it, yet her exhaustion forced her to rely heavily on the kid. Since Rabbit had taken on a small mob of infected to provide a distraction for the main group to get away, Anise had been silently nominated as leader.

The tired woman had learned that Rabbit's name was Rachel and was one of Terri's older sisters. Rachel had been an Umbrella employee that worked above ground. Her hacking skills had led her to the hospital where Anise had been kept for observation after surgery. Rachel had been another member of the movement that Matt was involved with. Apparently, Terri had been as well. Anise wondered how much of her friend's family was still alive. She shook her head of those thoughts and moved forward.

Moving through the dying city was slow going. Twilight's hazy light caused havoc with her vision. Infected were harder to pick out among the growing shadows. She was relying more on her hearing and Nate's rifle-scope to lead them around trouble. Their goal was an underground tunnel/bomb shelter that upper management in Umbrella had built in case of emergency. For official use only, of course. Rachel had known about it and shared her knowledge with every survivor they picked up.

Speaking of survivors, Anise looked over their newest recruit. He was another Umbrella employee that the monstrous company had left for dead. Shane had given them a really depressing bit of news. They only had until morning to evacuate before Umbrella dropped a fuckin nuke on their heads. That meant not only escaping the city, but getting miles away from it too. No one believed that the bomb shelter would save them. Even if the shelter was nuke proof, Umbrella would likely sanitize it as soon as they realized it had survived detonation.

Gunfire rattled in the distance. Only hours ago the sound had come from every direction. Now, it was sparse and sounded irregularly. The city was in its death throes. Anise could officially mark today as 'Worst Day Ever'. She stumbled over a fallen body. Buck steadied her, his young face worried. He really was a good kid. Too bad his family was dead.

* * *

One of those _things_ had attacked their sad little group. Someone called it a Licker because of its awful tongue. She agreed. Their group was lucky, having only lost three people. One of them was the Umbrella commando, who had finished off the Licker by literally shoving a live grenade down its throat. The explosion had taken them both and blown their body parts across a city block. Anise's baseball bat had been useless against the creature, and it made her feel like a useless lump of shit. Nate was still alive and made a remark about a wet t-shirt contest when she complained she wanted a shower. Buck had to hold her back to keep Anise from beating Nate to death and opening her stomach wound in the process. He took his job as Anise's bodyguard very seriously.

According to Rachel's instructions, they were still many blocks away from the tunnel. It was just about sunset. Fourteen people were still alive in the group. Nate was one of them and talked constantly about finding a hooker and having her... Ugh. Anise did not understand that particular fetish. She turned her mind to better prospects, like taking a hot bath and scarfing a roast beef dinner with garlic butter and mashed potatoes. Yum. Maybe a couple bottles of wine too. That would be perfect.

She picked up on a herd of zombies shambling nearby and motioned her group down an alley. Buck kicked down a door to an empty diner. They took a brief break to guzzle down water and snacks. A half hour later, they resumed their perilous journey. Anise was having trouble walking, so Buck was half carrying her weight. She could sense his strength lagging as the long day worn on. Unable to consider what she would do without him, she turned her sight to the fading sunlight.

The sun's last rays were streaking across the sky. It was a truly beautiful September sunset with intense scarlets, brilliant oranges, ravishing violets, and not a cloud in sight. With a balmy eighty degrees, said the bank's LED display, it would have been a perfect date night. The universe really had a warped sense of humor.

* * *

Around midnight, Buck was piggybacking Anise as her legs simply refused to carry her anymore. The stitches from her surgery had split hours ago. Blood ran freely down her mule's back. He had also stopped complaining about the stickiness of it some time ago. Nate was picking off zombies that trailed behind them.

Only two kids still survived and they huddled around Buck and Anise. She hoped that she wouldn't let them down. Watching kids get eaten was definitely on her top ten of things that would give her nightmares. Shivering, she focused on her enhanced hearing again, helping as much as she could. Buck looked back at her only to be softly patted on the cheek and told to keep moving.

* * *

The building looked like an old warehouse. Inside, it was a high tech facility with nasty defense mechanisms that unfortunately left Nate alive. Anise sighed. There were no infected inside. At least there was that. A couple of Umbrella employees were hiding and luckily they were smart enough to not shoot at the ragtag group. They joined them when they learned that Anise had the codes to enter the tunnel. It was just two hours until dawn.

Anise fumbled with the keypad by the massive blast doors. It beeped _access denied_ twice before her trembling fingers punched in the code correctly. Buck continued carrying her down to an elevator that required the code again. The elevator held everyone, and it wasn't even a tight fit. It was designed for mass volume, freight. Anise hoped the morons had not stored anything dangerous down there. They wouldn't survive another Licker attack. If she had any other choice, she would avoid being underground ever again.

After another set of blast doors, a tunnel opened before them when the elevator reached bottom. It was a long, brightly lit, concrete passage with occasional crates and barrels of supplies, forklifts, nothing very exciting. Their harsh breathing and heavy footsteps echoed loudly. Eventually there was another door and behind it, an extravagant living area massive enough to rival the Hive. Couches, TVs, kitchens and well stocked pantries, bathrooms, offices, bedrooms, a gym and basketball court, it had everything needed to comfortably ride out a holocaust. They hurried through it, only stopping for the kids to pee. Time was running out.

Another long tunnel led to another elevator. They rode it up impatiently. Another high tech facility housed the exit. On the outside it looked like a rundown farmhouse. No vehicles were in sight.

Dammit. So they continued walking. It was an hour until detonation. They rounded a bend in the road and finally some luck shined upon them. A half empty school bus turned party bus picked the group up. The partygoers stared at their blood spattered, sweat soaked clothing, and assorted weaponry. Nate was useful and pointed his empty rifle at the driver and told him to max out the speedometer, get them as far from Raccoon City as possible. The driver did not argue. Wheels squealed as he floored the gas pedal. Anise leaned on Buck and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Glaring sunlight woke her up. She blinked groggily. It was impossibly bright and pained her sleepy eyes. The bus was swerving, people were screaming, Buck held her close to his body and saved her life when the bus crashed. Her knee slammed into metal. She shrieked at the excruciating pain before blacking out again.

* * *

The intense light was gone, the grey light of dawn had replaced it, coming in through broken windows. Her knee throbbed painfully, and she silently told it to fuck off and her bleeding abs could shut the hell up too, she was tired of hurting. She gingerly sat up from her new position on the ceiling to find Buck not moving. For a moment, she listened for his heartbeat, but her ears were ringing too loudly. Scared to know if he was dead or not, she hesitantly pressed her fingers to his neck. The faint throb of his heart brought a tiny smile to her lips.

Around her people were starting to move, crying, bleeding, vomiting, stumbling, and cradling broken limbs. Most of them were alive. Anise turned back to her oversized teenage sidekick and looked for any extra injuries. He was bleeding from a head wound, so she peeled back his eyelids to check his pupils. They both dilated and retracted evenly, so if he had a concussion it was minor. Small favors made her happy, and her smile grew. She prodded his massive shoulder, and he started to stir.

"What happened?" He groaned.

Grinning widely now, she replied casually. "Oh not much, zombie apocalypse followed by nuclear explosion, and then the bus crashed."

"We got out?"

"Yep."

"Super."

"Hey, you two aren't dead yet either." Nate's smirking face appeared next Anise. She growled. "Hey, so now that we're out, you wanna fuck later? Your kid can join, I've always..." Anise decked him.

"Fuck that hurt." She grimaced, shaking her bleeding hand. His teeth had split her knuckles.

"Feel better?" Buck commented dryly.

Anise smiled, her dimples crinkled, and all of her teeth showed. "Much."


	2. Brothers and Illusions

A/N - When I wrote this in 2012, we had green grass and brilliant weather by fucking St. Patrick's Day. This year looking back, I think we had a blizzard... gotta love spring in the midwest.  
Revised 28Apr2013

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_**Brothers and Illusions**_

Icy wind burned her face and lungs, and her shoulder length hair was flying out behind her. She dodged honking taxis, flying cyclists, and surfed car hoods as she dashed across a busy intersection. On the other side, she collided with the pack of waiting pedestrians and forced her way beyond them. Sprinting haphazardly down the crowded sidewalk was not one of her better ideas. People shrieked and called her names when she shoved them aside, purposefully or not. A few lost their bags full of recently purchased merchandise, and many others dropped cellphones and coffees. She ignored them all, only looking back to see if she was being followed.

Anise wasn't even sure that she was being followed. Unsure of what she had seen, that Umbrella logo on the otherwise inconspicuous van had been enough, however. Everything Umbrella terrified her now. Hence, why she was running willynilly through a packed crowd, during lunch hour in one of the busiest sections of Chicago. She looked back again to see only angry faces, and a sky that looked ready to burst open and drop frigid March rain on her head... No one was running after her.

WHAM!

She yelped as she collided with a solid body and sent them both tumbling to the pavement. Some passerby laughed vengefully at her dilemma. The body beneath her led out a whuff of air as the breath left their lungs on impact.

For a moment, she lay there stunned, catching her breath, unable to get up. The man under her reacted first. "What the fuck?" He groaned and began to push the weight from his pained chest.

"You OK?" Another man knelt down next to the pair.

"Fantastic, I love getting my ass knocked down." The irritated man had managed to get himself to his feet and surprisingly reached back to help Anise up as well.

"Sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?" Anise grasped his outstretched hand thankfully. On her feet again, she warily looked around for signs of Umbrella. Only the merchandise inside the storefronts carried the hated logo to her wary eyes. The man squatting down also stood up and looked at her curiously. He was of Hispanic descent with a thick, well-groomed beard, black hair, and intelligent brown eyes. The collar of his stylish gray peacoat was popped to shield his neck from the brisk wind and he wore a Cubs ballcap.

She looked over at the man she had run into so gracefully. He was dressed casually for the late winter weather in boots, jeans, blue turtleneck sweater, fashionable knit hat, and a stitched leather jacket. His beautiful olive skin struck her familiarly, and she wondered if he was related to the man beside him. They could be brothers. A neatly trimmed beard framed his almost delicate features. His hair was hidden under the hat that covered most of his head, and his dark eyes, wait why were they the size of dinner plates? And why was he still holding her hand?

"Look, sorry again, I was umm..." She stammered uneasily, "I'm, uh late for... I gotta go." Anise tried to pry her hand out of the man's grip. Annoyed and slightly afraid, given the adrenaline still pumping through her veins, she yanked harder.

"You're alive."

Anise looked at him sharply. "What?"

"You got out." His words were whispered, almost reverent.

"Excuse me?" She glanced around the crowd worriedly, but it seemed to have resumed its usual flow around them. Only the other Hispanic man was still watching them, and he looked as confused as she felt.

"What are you talking about, Raul?"

"When we couldn't find you..." Raul trailed off, his cryptic words were really beginning to annoy her, and his powerful grip had not let up. His free hand drifted up between them.

Anise narrowed her eyes at Raul, her anxiety starting to shift to anger. She widened her stance and mentally prepared herself for a fight.

"Anise." The man's husky voice caressed her name. The woman twitched, unsure, frightened, curious, a million different emotions and thoughts flew through her head. How did he know her name?

"Ra-Raul." His companion stuttered, "You sure?"

Was he sure what? Who the hell were these two men? What the hell-

Softly, gentle fingertips ghosted up the woman's jawline, over her cheek, and landed at the edge of her eye. She felt a finger trace along her scar, and his hand settled on her wind blown hair. Anise could not move, her body paralyzed, her eyes captured by the strange man's hypnotizing gaze.

Rain chose that moment to begin falling. It was not a light sprinkle, it was a deluge. A waterfall would have been drier than the buckets pouring onto their exposed bodies. The impact of the icy water unfroze Anise. She yanked, hard, and managed to jerk herself backward a few feet. Someone cussed her out for running into them and rudely shoved her back at Raul, who caught her easily.

"Shit." The companion yelled over the sudden rainstorm. "Let's go. We're getting soaked."

When the two remained still staring at each other, he grabbed them both and forced them to look at his face. "Come on. We can sort this out somewhere dry. Our hotel is just down the street."

Anise did not have much choice when Raul nodded and followed after his friend. After all, he had regained a vice-like grip on her hand, and her curiosity was piqued. She really hoped this would not end with her getting trapped somewhere again. That last time really was not pleasant. Huffing, she kept up with their long strides, ignoring Raul's frequent darting glances.

About two blocks of jogging later, and a several minute wait at an intersection turned river, the rain had turned to sleet and snow. Soaked and freezing, their heads and shoulders collecting snow, they arrived in front of an exquisite hotel. It was not quite a five star, no doorman, however it definitely screamed, 'I have money to blow'. The men led her to the elevator, which she normally avoided, preferring stairs, which somehow always felt safer. Fifteen floors up, she still wished for the stairs, at least the exercise would have keep her mind occupied. Seriously, she was getting tired of Raul's hold on her hand, and his fixated gaze on her face.

Ding.

"Finally," she grumbled.

The twenty fifth floor was where they got out. Judging by the massive amount of space between doors, she figured that they were heading for a suite. At 2508 they stopped, the other man swiping his keycard and stepping inside first. Raul pulled her in as well. The door closed softly, trapping her in the small foyer. She stiffened, ready for a fight.

"Carlos?" A woman called from another room. "You back already?"

"Yea." The other man replied. "We, uh, found someone." He pulled off his drenched coat, throwing it on a hook. He opened the next door to the main suite, and they entered to a plush living room.

"Found someone?"

"Will you grab some towels, we got soaked." Carlos called.

The woman, a petite brunette, appeared a moment later with big fluffy hotel towels in her arms. Must be the bathroom then, Anise's eyes flickered, looking for another exit, a weapon, something.

"Who is this?"

"Anise." Again, that awed voice whispered her name. A shiver went down Anise's spine and not just from the icy water soaking her. She narrowed her eyes at the short man. Who the hell was he? Where did she know him from? Was it someone from Raccoon City that managed to get out in time? "She's alive."

"Anise? Really?" Another voice piped up from right next to Anise, making her jump. A young girl was sitting on the couch at her elbow. Her features and lilting British accent made the woman's skin crawl. Anise stared in horror at her. Her mouth gaped like a fish. "What's wrong?"

Anise reacted violently, grabbing a nearby lamp and rearing back to hurtle it at the girl who so resembled the Red Queen.

"No!" Raul yelled in her ear and slapped the lamp from her hand. Anise struggled and screamed. He pulled on her trapped hand and pulled her to his body. "It's not her. She's just a girl."

"Let go!" Her struggle was a terrifying blur of hands, thrown objects, screaming, cursing. "Not again. No. No. No..."

Somehow, she ended up slammed against a wall, and she heard the drywall crack under the impact. Raul's strong grip was keeping her arms pinned, and his body was pressing into hers for leverage. "Stop, Anise."

She bucked, throwing him off and bringing her knee to his groin. "Fuck!" He groaned, but did not go down, instead pushing Anise back to the wall. "Look at me."

Anise couldn't, she was staring at the face of her nightmares, the voice that kept her awake at night, her tormentor, that psychotic AI bitch was here. Sitting on a fucking couch in a fucking hotel room. Staring at her with big childlike eyes that looked ready to cry. Wait. What?

Raul let an arm go to slap her. "Dammit, you crazy, stubborn bitch. Look. At. Me." He grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his almost black eyes. "She's not the Red Queen."

Her eyes returned to stare at the terrifying image on the couch.

"Anise." He grated out, pushing his face in her line of sight. The frustrated man let go of her chin to capture her flailing hand. She screamed bloody murder, bucking and kicking again.

"NO!" Anise's reasoning skills were gone, fled at the sight of the Red Queen. She was acting on instinct and terrified adrenaline fueled her panicked struggle. Nothing made sense anymore, she just needed to get away, as far away as she could. She had to get away so she could get back to fighting Umbrella. That thought sobered her just enough for her to think up a way to break Raul's hold.

With both wrists held firmly above their heads, Raul had to bend his body slightly away from hers to gain the leverage over the taller woman. It gave her just enough space to lift her legs off the ground. The sudden body weight in his hands made Raul let go. Anise rolled over and popped up to run at the front door.

Another, much heavier body crashed into her and took her back to the ground. She bit the shoulder that landed in her face. Her teeth sank into the cotton shirt and tender flesh beneath drawing blood. Carlos howled in pain, instinctively rolling away from the source of pain. She almost got up before Raul plowed into her again. The man was dangerously good at pinning her down.

"Dammit, woman!" He was straddling her hips, her wrists again trapped in his strong hands. "Settle the fuck down." His voice dropped an octave, and gentleness replaced anger. "No one is going to hurt you here."

Anise's chest heaved from exertion. Her vision was getting spotty. Her stupid, selfish, impertinent stomach growled. Shit. She lay still for a moment, hoping to catch her breath and maybe Raul would drop his guard and she could make a break for it again.

"Was that your stomach?" The man's lips twitched. "If you stop acting like a madwoman, I'll order you a burger." He paused to watch her reaction. "And maybe some OJ?"

That tone of voice struck a chord in Anise. He reminded her of...

"Orange juice makes everything better."

Rain had said that, just before... She stilled completely. Her breath caught. What the hell was going on?

Raul lifted one of Anise's hands to his rain soaked face. He brought his fingers up to twine in hers and put their hands to his beard. "Scratch it."

"Uh," What? She did it anyway, and her fingernails caught.

"Pull." He whispered.

His beard resisted for a second, then slowly began peeling off of his face. Together, their hands removed the fake whiskers, drastically changing his visage. Anise stared at the faux beard in her hand. She began moving her other hand. It knocked the knit hat off, and a neat braid of long, dark hair was revealed to be pinned up underneath.

The person sitting on her hips, holding her hand, watched her intently. Waiting. Those deep, dark chocolate orbs stared at Anise with such intensity. It was staggering. She was having trouble digesting what she was seeing. Her stomach gurgled. She cursed at it, "Damn you, can't I figure out what the hell is going on before you start bitching at me?"

Anise looked up from griping at her tummy. The face above her was grinning at her antics. "Let me know when you do. I'm not going anywhere. In fact, I'm rather comfortable."

Between the leering face and the beard in her hand, Anise could not take it anymore. Her laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside. It exploded from her gaping mouth and filled the room. Fueled by adrenaline and relief, it was a bit harsh and eventually tapered off as she noticed other people standing around watching her performance. The little girl tried a smile. Anise blinked and weakly grinned back. If the person straddling her was who she prayed it was, then the girl definitely could not be an incarnation of that homicidal bitch. Anise shifted her body until she could lift her torso up.

She put a hand to the soaked sweater's collar and pulled it aside. That close, she could make out the faint scarring on the revealed woman's neck. Jagged little lines that had definitely been caused by human teeth. Her face broke out into a full blown cheesy ass smile. "I was right." Chuckling, she wrapped her arms around the woman's waist and inhaled the scent that was uniquely her's. "I'm glad," she mumbled into a very wet shoulder. Secure with her new knowledge, Anise sighed contentedly.

Rain leaned into her body, laced her arms around her shoulders, and pressed her face to Anise's soaked hair. "Me too."


	3. Laundry and Overripe Bananas

A/N - Revised 28Apr2013

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_**Laundry and Overripe Bananas**_

The front door slammed open, and a man's voice hollered, "We've got a sniffer!"

Rain was up and drawing a gun before Anise had time to ask what the hell a sniffer was. Carlos and the other woman also had guns out and were stepping in front of the little girl as shields. Sounds of a scuffle preceded the newest arrival. With no weapon of her own, Anise pulled herself into a fighting crouch.

"Let me go!" Anise recognized that voice. "I wasn't doin anything." She was moving in front of Rain just as Buck came into view being hauled by a chocolate skinned man with a gold plated pistol to the boy's ribs.

"Don't shoot him. He's with me." Anise pleaded with the group.

"Who the hell are you?" The new man demanded.

"She's way more important than you are." Buck quipped.

Anise glared at the teenager. "Shut up, you aren't helping." She placed two fingertips on Rain's wrist. "Please." The soldier lowered the muzzle to point at the floor.

"Let him go, LJ." Rain stated calmly.

"Rain, what's goin on? Who is she?" Buck was let go, LJ however, kept his shiny gun trained on the boy.

Anise glared angrily at Buck, grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him close. "Dammit, you pain." She hissed looking around at the weapons still trained on her young friend.

"Someone gonna explain? Jill? Carlos? Why the fuck is Rain doin what she says?" Angry and confused, LJ's eyes flitted between his friends.

Rain ignored him for another moment, turning to Anise. She took in the woman's protective stance and fearful eyes. The soldier flicked the safety on the handgun and stuffed it back in her waistband. Carlos hesitated a moment before following her lead. The other woman, Jill, hesitated, looked pissed, then did the same. Rain nodded and spoke up when LJ did not. "LJ, this is Anise. She was in the Hive with me. I trust her, and she's vouched for the kid. Put the gun down."

"Jus' like that?" LJ balked. Rain glowered at him. He lowered his piece. "Shit."

The threat to his life stopped, Anise rounded on Buck angrily. "You were following me. How many times have I told you not to do that?"

"I dunno. Every time?" Buck responded smartly. "I brought your bag." He started to pull off the shoulder strap, stopped, fear suddenly back in his eyes. LJ had his weapon aimed at the teen's chest again.

"What?" LJ squawked at Rain when she glared daggers at him again. "OK, alright. Damn. But if he pulls an Umbrella GPS out of that bag, don't blame me." He shoved his gun in his pocket, and then crossed his arms over his chest.

"Anise." Rain stepped closer. Anise could hear the woman's strong heartbeat, and it was distracting. "Explain."

Slipping her bag over her shoulder, the woman swallowed and nodded. "Sorry about Buck. He's been my personal shadow since Raccoon City. He..." She trailed off, her stomach gurgling again. Loudly.

Buck laughed. "See, I knew you would need your bag."

Rain chuckled as well, allowing the shortened explanation and the kid's obvious familiarity with Anise to be enough for the moment. "Let's order those burgers. I'm hungry too. We can discuss this sitting down."

"You're always hungry, Rain." The young girl piped up.

"Blame Anise. It's her fault." Rain pointed at the taller woman. "What do you like on your burger?"

"Mushrooms, avocado, Swiss cheese, diced onion, light mayo." Buck answered for her. "Or lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup, onion, mustard. Guacamole and chips on the side. I like that too."

Anise rolled her eyes. "He'll eat anything. Don't let him fool you. You could order him a cheeseburger with chipotle, whipped cream, rhubarb, and peanut butter and he'd eat it."

"Only that one time! You dared me to."

"See what I mean?"

Carlos started laughing. "You sound like an old married couple."

Buck's smile reached from ear to ear while Anise groaned. "Don't. Ugh. Even if I did like males, being with Buck would make me a pedophile. Nope. We sound like brother and sister, understand?" She shook her finger at the laughing man.

"Oh, I don't know. You two look cute together." Now the other woman had joined in, smiling maliciously.

"He's half my age!"

"I am not. You're only," he stopped to count. "Eight years older than me."

"You two don't look like siblings at all." The little girl had joined the fun as well.

LJ was obviously over his Umbrella scare because he added, "Yea, the kid is what, six inches taller than you? Blonde hair, blue eyed, big ears, enormous shoulders, narrow little nose. You're a typical brunette with a nose almost as big as mine. Opposites attract. You two look like a couple to me."

Anise groaned, rubbing her eyes. Rain snickered. "Come on, I've got dry clothes you can wear. Carlos, you wanna get the kid something to change into?"

"Sure thing." Carlos gestured for Buck to follow him into the other bedroom.

The room they entered was the master room, with a king sized bed and a rollaway next to it. Rain explained that Jill shared with Angie while she took the rollaway, given she slept so much less. The men had queen beds in the other room, which meant she spent a lot of nights exercising in the hotel gym. While she rummaged through the dresser under the TV and pulled out men's clothes, Anise wanted to ask if her guess about the disguise was right or if Rain went drag normally. A t-shirt, hoodie, and athletic pants were tossed over. Rain threw a ball of socks at her too. "We can send your wet stuff to the laundry."

"Sounds good." Anise did not wait for privacy, peeling off her dripping clothes immediately. Everything was drenched. She had not been prepared for the sudden downpour, so everything was coming off. She got down to her underwear before she looked up, hoping that Rain was watching. The soldier had her back turned and was pulling her sweater over her head. Anise watched as more beautiful olive skin was revealed, smooth muscle rippling underneath. Her braid had been unpinned and draped down past her shoulders. There were a few scars visible, pale contrasts to the darker skin. They only increased the woman's natural beauty with reminders of how fiercely she lived.

Rain started pulling her pants down, bending slightly to tug on a pant leg. The view was amazing. Rain had the best ass Anise had ever had the pleasure of drooling over. Her breath caught as the pants came off completely. "You're supposed to be changing, not staring at my ass." The soldier looked over her shoulder, amused.

"But I like your ass." Anise retorted still staring at the silk covered beauty.

"I figured that. Get dressed." Rain threw her wet pants at Anise, and they landed with a splat on her head. Anise pouted when she pulled the offending article from her eyes. That amazing ass was being covered in jeans again. Another sweater went on as well. Rain sat down to replace her socks ignoring the other woman's petulant look.

"Fine." So Anise finished stripping and put the borrowed clothes on, mildly disappointed they smelled of soap and not Rain. She gathered up her wet clothes and shoved them into a plastic laundry bag from the closet. The women returned to the living area at the same time as the men. Carlos had another laundry bag that he tossed near the door. Anise grabbed a towel for her hair and flopped down to a loveseat, quickly followed by Buck. Sweatpants fit the teen fine, but the shirt pulled tight across his broad shoulders as he was easily twice the size of Carlos and LJ. He had the nerve to wrap his arm around her shoulders. Her elbow slamming into his gut had him pulling his limb back swiftly.

"Good effort, kid." Rain ruffled his damp hair. She settled herself on the loveseat's arm, invading Anise's personal space. The hotel phone was in her hand and she was dialing room service. While Rain placed their orders, Anise rubbed her hair dry and watched the group settle in. LJ and the girl took a couch while Carlos sat in an armchair. The other woman leaned on the couch next to the girl, exuding maternal protectiveness.

It took an effort not to squirm in fear seeing the girl and remembering the Red Queen. Something must have appeared on her face because the girl swallowed nervously. Rain was still speaking with room service, not bothering to ask anyone for their order, so she must know them fairly well, Anise thought. The girl swallowed again, this time she followed it by speaking softly. Her familiar voice with its accent was hard for her to listen to. "My daddy designed her. It's why she looked and sounded like me."

Anise grabbed Rain's arm. "Order alcohol." Rain furrowed her brow, glanced at the girl, and nodded.

The girl continued bravely. "My name is Angela. My daddy was Dr. Charles Ashford. Did you know of him?"

Ashford. It sounded familiar. Anise thought for a few moments. One of her hands drifted to her chin, and a finger started to tap out a beat on her lips. He probably had an accent too. An image of a man in a high powered wheel chair came to mind. "Charlie? Wheelchair, right? We didn't do last names in the Hive." Except Belst, she mentally corrected, his first name had been fucking impossible.

"That's right."

"I met him a few times. He was an arrogant jerk at first." She paused, thinking that she had not liked the man then. "He was really polite to me the next time we met. It was after I joined Afterthought." Her thoughts drifted, wondering about why that was, maybe he had known about the project too? Anise focused her gaze on the girl, really looking at her. Angela appeared to be just another preteen girl. Her clothes were a bit snobbish, yet her face was open and vulnerable. She really did look like her father with her light brown hair, greenish eyes, cute button nose, and freckles. In the quiet room, Anise could her the girl's heart pounding and there was something else. Her sensitive nose twitched. She smelled Rain next to her, Buck's lingering cologne, and the standard scents of a hotel. There was something else in the air, not strong, just enough out of place to catch her attention. It was almost familiar.

Rain set the phone receiver down, the order complete. "Food'll be here soon." She caught the expression on Anise's face, saw her nose twitching, and touched a hand to her shoulder, "What?"

"Do you smell that?"

The others stiffened, their postures going rigid. It did not reassure Anise. "Overripe bananas?"

Anise nodded.

"You can smell that?" Surprise colored Rain's voice.

"Yea, kinda. But it's not quite right."

"It's Angie." Rain took a breath. "She's..."

"Infected." Anise finished, her face screwed up, confusion etching lines in her brow. "I don't understand."

Buck jumped up yelling. "What the hell?" He looked down at Anise, who had not moved. "Anise, why aren't you freaking out? If that little girl's infected..."

"Sit down, kid." Rain ordered.

"She's not contagious." Carlos added. Jill wrapped Angela in a protective hug. She glared at the newcomers.

"She's INFECTED! I'm not sittin around when she might try to kill me at any second!" Buck was terrified and gesturing wildly.

"Buck." Anise yanked him down by his sleeve. "Stop. She's not mutating." She held him down firmly, staring into his eyes until he calmed enough for her to look at Angie. "Right?"

Angie nodded.

"See, Buck? Now settle down and stop pissing off the people with guns." Anise smacked him lightly across the head.

The teen nodded glumly and did not attempt to stand again.

"This is getting absurd." Carlos took over the conversation. "We all have stories to share and they all start back in Raccoon City. Rain told us about the Hive and what little she learned about the R&D going on down there. Angie shared how her father developed the T-virus to combat a disease that was ravaging her body and making her weak as a kitten. She's strong and healthy now, she just has to inject the antivirus occasionally to keep it in check. Umbrella took his research and made it into weapons. She isn't a threat to anyone except Umbrella, especially after that video they managed to discredit. Did you see it?"

Anise was nodding, the video could only have been the one about the apocalyptic events in Raccoon City. A news reporter had started hand filming from the beginning, when the infection had suddenly swarmed the city. It had shown Umbrella sealing the exits and opening fire on civilians and their own people that were trapped inside the dying city.

The reporter had joined Jill and her now dead partner, running for their lives. Alice and Rain had rescued them from a pack of Lickers. The two women had been more than a match for the monsters. Together they tried to make it out of the city, each sharing their personal experience on camera from working for Umbrella. Neither had spoken about Anise, and it had been both heartwarming and humiliating for the woman. A mysterious man had promised to get them out of the city if they rescued his daughter from a local school. There they had met Carlos and LJ, found Angela, and made it to an Umbrella helicopter. The video had ended when an Umbrella commando had smashed the camera. Apparently the SD card had survived.

Watching the video had brought hope to Anise that some of her friends were alive even if Umbrella had put bounties on their heads. She had not been able to locate any of them though, nor could the resources at her disposal help. The team had been thorough in hiding themselves.

Ooh, Anise realized, that would explain the beard Rain wore.

As for the rest of the world, it had scared enough people to strengthen the _resistance_, or Keepers as the name of the lab proclaimed. Someone had thought it was appropriate after Anise had shared her pet name for the Afterthought team. Umbrella had covered up the nuclear strike saying that the local nuclear power plant had had a meltdown. Liars. Anise had also kept herself hidden, without the T-virus for proof, exposing herself was suicidal.

"You mean the one about Raccoon City that had international attention and that Umbrella squashed faster than a teenage hand session?" Some things were starting to make more sense.

Carlos laughed roughly at her crude humor, "Yep. Umbrella has been after us since. That's why Rain wears that disguise, and the others mostly stay hidden in hotel rooms. We've been alternately running and trying to expose Umbrella since we escaped Raccoon City." He paused. "We need to know more about this Project Afterthought and what it means to Rain and the T-virus."

Anise opened her mouth to answer. Rain however, spoke first. "I wanna know how you got out first."

Smiling, she poked her young companion. "Well, that's how I first met my little shadow here."


	4. Project Afterthought

A/N - revised 28Apr2013

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_**Project Afterthought**_

"We were all at the hospital. Alice and I watched the surveillance tapes before we booked it out of there." Rain spoke up after Anise finished her version of events in Raccoon City, with a few interruptions from Buck adding details.

"The others? Are they...?" Anise asked half eager and half afraid to know.

Rain fidgeted a moment. "Alice is, although she's MIA right now. Matt, no." Her lips pulled into a dark frown at Anise's dismayed cry. "I have no idea about Kap."

"People who knew about your project rescued you before something decided to eat you. Then, you ended up getting rescued again after the nuke. You currently live in a lab." Jill summed up the earlier explanation. "Great. Explain what the project was and why you're so damn important."

Glaring at the other woman for her thoughtless attitude, after all, Anise had just learned a friend was dead, Rain looked ready to kill. Jill held up her hands in surrender and muttered. "Sorry."

Anise started to speak, then shut her mouth. She took a moment to mourn Matt before pushing it aside. A lot of good people had died, but she needed to let these people know about Afterthought. She considered exactly where she should start. Her stomach grumbled unhappily, distracting her. Buck frowned at her in concern. "You haven't eaten since before you left, have you?"

"No."

"Anise." Buck chided, "Don't forget your bag the next time you sneak away." His voice betrayed the worry he felt for the older woman.

She pat his thigh reassuringly. He followed her worse than Belst ever had, yet she knew it was because he considered her family. Since meeting in Raccoon City Hospital, he had wormed his way into her heart, and she welcomed him there. "I won't." After a breath, she spoke again. "Food's here." She announced upon hearing a woman muttering about how she hoped _this_ expensive ass suite tipped better than the last people from outside the door.

"What?" Asked Rain and Carlos together.

Knocking came from the front door. "_Room Service!_" A woman's chipper voice called out. Carlos stood after casting a glance at Anise. He pulled out a handful of cash.

"Close the inner door first." Jill bitched quietly. "Or she'll notice the mess you idiots made."

Shattered ceramic, broken lamps, and other bits and pieces covered the still wet floor. Throw rugs were strewn awkwardly, towels haphazardly soaking up the puddles, and a hanging painting was askew over a cracked wall. Anise blushed at the mess that was mostly her fault. She could hear Carlos opening the door and greeting the employee. He turned down her offer of setting their food out at the large dining table. When she pressed that she really should, he told her sternly that he was having a private party. A surprised 'thank you, sir, have a nice day' must have been the result of a fat tip.

Carlos reentered the room pushing a tray laden with covered dishes and drinks. The smells wafting to Anise's nose were delectable. Saliva began to pool around her tongue. She was halfway on her feet when someone started laughing. "Come on. Let's eat at the table or she'll drool all over the furniture." Rain tugged on her sleeve, and her lips curled up merrily. Buck was laughing. It really amazed Anise how quickly the suspicion and fear of the group had faded away after she started detailing their escape from RC. She guessed that the reminder of the horrors that they had all faced brought them together.

Everyone easily gathered around the table and took seats as Carlos and Rain handed off plates and drinks. A full plate was placed in front of Anise, and she quickly forgot anyone else was in the room. She plowed through the mushroom burger, licking her fingers and moaning happily. Steak fries had accompanied it, and she started on those, dipping them in ketchup. She looked up only occasionally to find her bottle of beer and wash down her meal.

"Oh. That was good." She rubbed her stomach, looking around the table. Of course, she was the first one with a clean plate.

"There are tortilla chips and guacamole too." Rain pointed at other dishes on the table and replaced the empty beer with a fresh bottle.

Anise took more time to taste her food this round. Every bite was wonderful. Guac was one of her favorite foods, and the hotel's chefs had created masterpieces. She polished off her second beer, and Rain replaced that one as well. "Trying to get me drunk?"

"You asked for alcohol."

"I did." She agreed and took a sip, enjoying the flavor. She liked Dos Equis, and a comfortable buzz was starting to pulse through her. It wouldn't last long, so she savored it. "Have you tried getting drunk since the Hive?" Her question was directed at the Latina.

Rain sighed, "Of course."

"Was it the same?"

The woman took a swallow of her own beer. "It takes about the same to get me drunk. Doesn't fuckin last long. I almost miss hangovers."

Anise nodded understandingly. "Yea. Just a couple hours before the Red Queen went homicidal I'd downed a bottle of tequila. By the time you guys showed up, my hangover had already come and gone."

"That doesn't tell me much. I know Rain's like fuckin Supergirl, but I'm still in the dark about you." LJ spoke pointing a potato wedge at Anise.

"In less than eight hours, a bottle of Patrón and all the side effects were completely purged from my system." She summed up.

"Damn. That's faster than Supergirl."

"Did you really break into that freaky ass place just to get smashed?" Rain asked.

"Yea. It would have pissed off my keepers. And it was my birthday." Anise chuckled sadly.

Carlos coughed when he choked on his food. "Shit, I thought my last birthday sucked. T-virus trumps my girlfriend dumping me any day."

Anise drank again and stood up. "Gotta pee." She ambled to the bathroom and did her business. While washing her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes looked haunted in her otherwise healthy face. Reliving the horrors of the damned city had been hard. She sighed and splashed water on herself to clean off the guac from her chin. Toweling off gave her a chance to focus her thoughts and decide how to properly discuss Project Afterthought.

Once out of the bathroom, she retrieved her open beer and another fresh one. She returned to her previous spot on the couch and got comfortable. A few minutes later, the group had settled in as well, and everyone was in their former positions. Rain's nearness surprised and delighted Anise. The soldier was difficult to read. She wondered if the kiss on the train had meant anything. If it was just the result of an adrenaline high... Anise did not want to consider how disappointed she would be. Buck nudging her shoulder brought her back to the present.

"So, Project Afterthought. I'm gonna start where I got hired by Umbrella. Fair enough?"

Jill looked irritated. "This isn't a bedtime story. Just hurry up about it."

"Sure, I'll keep it simple, but it'll make more sense this way."

An impatient wave of a delicate hand answered her. Anise was having a hard time deciding whether the woman was the good kind of bitchy or not. She reminded her of a stereotypical cheerleader, except when she was being maternal toward Angie.

"OK. I was in college as an undeclared major. I was racking up credit card bills and major student loans taking random science courses and partying. Direction in my life was nonexistent, I had awful luck with girls, and my car was about to crap out on me. Then my dad had an accident on the job and the little money I got from my parents stopped. Construction work, his leg and pelvis were crushed, spent weeks in the hospital, lost his job, insurance dropped him, and my parents' bills were quadrupling every month.

One of my professors helped me get a job doing clerical work for Umbrella. It was shitty paying and boring as hell." Anise took a drink before continuing. "Occasionally, I did volunteer stuff like highway garbage pickups and giving blood at the quarterly Umbrella blood drives. They liked me because I'm a universal donor. O neg blood type.

A man named Belst approached me at work, saying that during the blood screenings mine had come up as possibly being compatible with a project. I was offered triple my current pay to give blood. Of course, I accepted, and that's how I got clearance to the Hive. Months went by and all I did was get my blood pumped or give skin scrapings and mouth swabs. I had tons of hours to make friends and enemies and play pranks down below. Doc Belst and the team started to catch hell from other department heads, so they made me learn how to work in the lab with them. I didn't understand shit about the research they were doing. Genetic engineering was beyond me."

Anise paused again to drink and observe her audience. Gauging their reactions and levels of patience. They wore various expressions of interest and looked satisfied enough with her pace.

"One day, I was tramping through restricted computer files with a hacker friend. We came across info on the T-virus. She helped me pull up everything we could find, lab notes, cost expenditures, surveillance footage, and we began to realize how terrifying the research was. For the next week I walked on eggshells, panicked that security would figure out that I had learned about the T-virus.

Spence was being more of a dick than usual, and it terrified me. My hacker friend disappeared, never heard from her again. Bastard seemed happy with just her, I guess. A few weeks later, I was sitting back having my blood drawn, daydreaming, when it clicked. The project I was giving my blood to was actively working to create a biological defense against the T-virus.

From what I'd learned, an antivirus existed, but it was stupidly expensive and time consuming to produce. It could only be injected after infection occurred, so it didn't do any good beforehand. Project Afterthought was trying to find a way around this. That was why they wanted a blood type like mine, a universal donor. My education was completely inadequate to let me understand _how_ the scientists were doing this. I wanted to help more though, so I approached Belst, hoping I wasn't wrong in trusting him. He had been thrilled and said that the project was making good progress. However, if I was able to give blood more regularly it would help. I agreed to have my metabolism cranked. Hence eating all the freaking time."

Anise clinked her bottle to Rain's when the woman chuckled.

"A month later I was eating like a horse, having liters of blood taken, and the research was flying ahead. My pay tripled again, and I realized how truly classified the program was when the other Hive workers still called me a lab assistant. I got my car fixed and started to help pay my parent's bills. Just after my 23rd birthday I stumbled into 'dining hall B'. That was where they kept the earlier T-virus experiments like the Licker."

Buck stuck his tongue out and hissed. No one laughed. Jill shuddered from the memory.

"Belst approached me again, this time saying they were ready to start human trials. Every test had shown I was a perfect match. I agreed before he could even say that all of my debt would be covered, my parents' bills would be taken care of, and my dad could get top of the line prosthetics."

Her Dos Equis was empty again so she set it down and grabbed her last bottle, popping the cap off. She watched the vapor spill out before taking a sip.

Buck got up to use the restroom. "Intermission!"

Everyone except Rain and Carlos got up for the same reason. Rain did get up to steal Buck's seat. She sat down and got comfortable, with her legs propped in Anise's lap and her torso leaning sideways into the cushions. When Buck returned to the scene, he could not seem to choose between amusement and jealousy.

Rain's lip curled at the boy's expressive face. "Shoo. I'm comfortable." The kid stuck his tongue out and barely dodged Rain's kick. He pranced away to an open armchair.

Waiting for the ladies to return, Anise was having trouble deciding where to put her arms now that two lovely legs were in her lap. Her sideways look revealed that the soldier was pleased and well aware of her discomfort. She silently groaned before she set her beer on the table and draped her arms across Rain's muscular limbs. Looking at the soldier and her undoubtedly smug features, was out of the question, instead she met Buck's gaze. He grinned toothily and his eyes were alight with mischief.

"Sucker." His impish whisper drifted over. Heat rose to Anise's cheeks, and Buck laughed at her.

"What's so funny?" Angie had returned and plopped down, her eyes dancing between Buck and Anise.

"Anise is..." Carlos started to answer.

"Taking too damn long to finish." Jill interrupted, "Come on, what happened next?"

Yep, definitely the pushy popular type, Anise thought. Not willing to argue, she continued hastily. "I became a test subject. My body adapted quickly to the adjustments the team kept making to my physiology. That's when Belst started to modify Umbrella's Spec Ops training to keep track of my development. He was able to compare my results with what the top commandos could do. One of the instructors was brought in to teach me. I learned about combat, strategy, and other basic soldier skills. The project's backers were thrilled that their new biological antivirus factory was getting harder to kill.

I grew an extra gland that produces an enzyme that can be refined into the antivirus. My enzyme is radically cheaper, easier, and faster to refine than making the antivirus from scratch. With my blood, enough antivirus can be refined in a week for over thirty doses. That part of the project was a huge success.

The side effects from the project were really awesome. I used to be really nearsighted, but my vision is perfect now. My hearing is beyond amazing. Pretty sure I'm a little stronger and faster than I should be. My sense of smell and taste are about the same. I heal insanely fast and when I catch a cold, it lasts hours, not days. The biggest downsides are the stupid amount of calories I have to consume every day, I tend to take lots of naps, and I can't help but eavesdrop on every conversation."

Anise downed the rest of her beer, waiting for their reactions.

"What was the other part?" Carlos questioned.

"A vaccine or direct transfer of her blood in case the refined antivirus isn't available." Rain answered. "They wanted a backup in case something like Raccoon City happened."

Anise nodded, impressed at Rain's summary. "True. The problem was that none of the subjects were ever compatible and they all died after T-virus exposure. Human tissue samples didn't fair any better." She took a breath. "At least they stayed dead."

"Except me. I was compatible."

"Very compatible." She muttered.

Rain tilted her head, "What?"

"Nothin," Anise covered lamely. As Rain's eyebrow rose, she spoke a little too loudly to the others. "Questions?" Definitely sounded desperate. "Anyone?" She mentally slapped herself. Could she be any more obvious?


	5. Screaming Wet

A/N - revised 28Apr2013

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_**Screaming Wet**_

Anise was ready for a nap. Telling her story and the following Q&A session was exhausting. The beer and her full tummy were not helping keep her eyes open. The others were busy discussing what she had just told them. Her eyelids fluttered. Someone poked her ticklish side, and she jerked awake.

Rain was the culprit, her full lips were curled in her signature smile. "They'll be talking for hours, and I'm sure Jill wants to check her e-mail. Get up so you can sleep in a bed."

"OK." She muttered sleepily and got to her feet. Her bag was slipped from her shoulders and set down on the couch.

"Where are you ladies goin?" LJ perked up seeing the two women heading to the bedroom.

"She needs to sleep, you perv." Rain flipped him off. "And so do I."

Rain guided Anise to the king bed and pulled back the covers for her. Anise crawled in and immediately curled up on her side, her back to Rain. Metal clanked on the wooden nightstand, and she assumed it was Rain's gun. Then the bed dipped with the other woman's weight. The soldier's back pressed up against hers, her body warmth comforting and happily received. Anise smiled into the pillow. Her last thoughts were about Rain's warm body.

* * *

Something was snarling, growling, coming closer. Her heart thumped painfully. People were screaming all around her, but she could not move. The snarling was getting closer, and she strained to see what it was. She could only hope it was not one of those _things_. Blurry outlines surrounded by bright light greeted her vision. The screaming was getting louder, and the growling was now next to her face. Hot breath blew across her ear.

She leapt up, away from the snarling, yet the screaming never stopped. Her legs stumbled, weak from struggling, and she ran into something hard. Still her vision remained blurry so her hands groped out, finding what felt like a doorknob. She twisted and pushed. It stayed closed. She yanked, and it flew open, throwing her on her ass. The screaming halted a moment to let her hear the growling.

Again she was on her feet, racing through the doorway. Something large entered her vision, and she veered around it. She ran into a body and went tumbling down yet again. Sitting up, her vision began to clear, and the face next to her terrified her. The Red Queen. Back to kill her. She realized the screams were coming from her own mouth as her arm hauled back to take a swing at the murderous AI.

Icy cold water splashed across her face. She froze, her senses jarred. Her vision swam briefly then cleared completely. The Red Queen really was in front of her, yet it had colors, and was not just a red hologram. It looked frightened and worried.

"Anise." She knew that voice, trusted it, usually tried to protect it. Her arm stayed cocked.

Other voices were yelling, asking questions, but she did not know them, did not trust them. The Red Queen was not speaking, only watching her.

"Put your arm down, Anise." Buck. It was Buck. Good, sweet, tender, young Buck. He sounded edible. She laughed. It sounded twisted and sick to her ears.

Those other voices were louder, some were getting closer.

"Anise." Buck was kneeling next to the Red Queen, and he was putting his body between them. His face was close enough to pick out the blackheads on his nose. Poor kid needed a better face wash. She would have to get him one later. "Anise. You aren't in the Hive and Raccoon City was destroyed. We're in Chicago. In a hotel."

The Red Queen was now looking at her with less fear, more sympathy and curiosity. The other voices were starting to sound familiar. What Buck was saying sounded true. She blinked water from her eyes, lowered her arm slightly.

"You found Rain."

Another face lowered itself next to Buck. "You crazy bitch, wake the fuck up."

She knew that face, dreamed about it sometimes. It was surreal. Her arm was lashing out before she realized what she was doing. Her fist connected with Rain's chin painfully. Shit, that woman had a hard face. The pain cleared the cobwebs from her brain. All the dots finished connecting. The Red Queen was Angela, and the other voices were people that survived Raccoon City too.

A fist blurred into sight and snapped her head back. "Fuck!" Her cheek blossomed in pain as her body collapsed backward from the impact. Nothing in her face felt broken, so Rain must have pulled her punch. Anise remembered how hard the woman could hit. With her senses properly functioning again, she lay on her back looking up at the people surrounding her. The faces above her looked pissed off. "I get nightmares." She offered. From their reactions she guessed every one of them did as well.

Rain's face was above her now, and her hand reaching down to help her up. She accepted it and stood. "Your face hurt." Anise complained.

"You hit like a girl." Rain lifted Anise's hand, looking at her inflamed knuckles, then tilted it to inspect the palm. "How long did it take to grow back?"

The woman considered her faintly scarred palm where an infected had taken a bite out of her in the Hive. "A few weeks. If I hadn't been so run down it would've been a lot shorter." She lifted her shirt to show the jagged lines from the Licker attack on the train. "My body had a hard time keeping up with all the injuries and blood loss." She gestured at her leg. "I shattered my kneecap when the bus rolled and actually had an infection in my hand. You know, the normal kind when normal people split their knuckles open punching morons."

Buck laughed heartily. "Rain would love Nate. We should introduce them."

For a minute, Anise considered it. "Nah, she would kill him too quickly."

"You're right. The minute he said something about your ti-, uh, chest, Rain would snap his neck."

"I would. Staring at them would just get my boot up someone's ass. Talking about her rack would equal a death sentence."

Anise beamed at Rain's protective attitude and definitely noticed the knowing look that Rain was giving LJ. Her hopes soared.

Jill was laughing now. It was a gentler sound than Anise would have guessed it would be. "She broke some guy's wrist once for making a comment about my ass. Rain is so chivalrous, I'm not sure if it's her man costume or her natural need to break things."

Her hopes crashed. Well if Rain acted like that around any woman...

A bath towel abruptly landed on her head. "Thought you might want that." Carlos was chuckling, "You looked a little wet."

"I am." Anise began mopping her face from the ice shower she had just gotten.

"It's understandable. Rain has that kind of effect on women."

"Hu-wha..?" Anise did a double take at the man. Did he seriously just do that?

The man's smug grin and LJ's hand covering his mouth and shoulders shaking confirmed it.

"I, uh, well..." She was stuttering, knowing she had walked into that joke head-on. "Shit."

Laughing echoed through the suite as Anise blushed darkly. She covered her face with the towel and groaned.

Jill's voice cut through the amused noise. "Great. Fantastic. We're back in high school again." Anise peeked from her towel to see the woman stomp away, dragging Angie from the group and plopping down at a desk with an open laptop open. Most likely she had been interrupted from her computer work when Anise woke up screaming. Stupid nightmares.

The hotel phone rang and Carlos went to get it, still chuckling. "Hello?"

Anise ignored the conversation and instead focused on Rain, who was guiding her back to the bedroom saying she needed a dry shirt. "It's fine with me." Rain began whispering, so low even Anise had to focus.

"Huh?"

"That you're a little wet." Rain cut off the taller woman's denial by tapping her nose. "I can smell it."

Anise was sure she whimpered. The door was shut, giving them the privacy to speak louder.

"One of my perks from your blood. I don't have your superhearing, but my sense of smell is fucking impressive." Her husky voice was smug and her dark eyes glittered. "I know how much you want me right now." The sexy woman paused to watch hazel eyes dilate and visibly sniffed the air. "I like it."

Oh, hell. If she was a tad wet before, Anise was _drenched_ now.

"We don't have the privacy for more," Rain was apparently enjoying the emotions play across Anise's face. "So we'll have to settle for this." She used both hands to grab soft hips and bring their bodies together. Tilting her head up she smiled and waited. Anise did not even realize she closed the distance between their lips, she was too damn happy. Her moan hummed up her throat and was echoed by Rain's huskier voice.

Their kiss was tender until Rain grazed her teeth across a full bottom lip. Anise's eyes flew open, and she laughed deliciously. "I always thought you would use teeth."

Rain glanced up before she nipped Anise on her jaw. "Oh yea?"

"I did offer to bite you once." She stroked her hands across Rain's lower back and dipped her fingers under the waistband of her jeans. Fingertips played with the soft flesh hidden from her eyes.

"Mmm. So you did."

Anise returned her lips to Rain's, claiming her and letting herself be claimed as well. Rain's left hand was traveling up to cup a heaving breast when a knock at the door interrupted them.

Carlos called through the barrier. "We got a noise complaint from Anise screaming. Stop whatever it is you're doing, we can't afford anymore attention from her screaming again."

Rain broke off from their heated kiss. She dropped her forehead to Anise's shoulder laughing. "He's right."

Anise was irritated. "We can be quiet."

"No." Rain countered. "I want to hear you scream my name."

The taller woman shuddered in pleasure. "Oh. Fuck."

"Yea." The soldier gathered herself and pulled back. When Anise tried to hold on, she pried her fingers away and kissed her knuckles. "It's worth the wait."

"Kinky I figured, but romantic?" Anise arched her eyebrow playfully. "Should I be worried, after all, we barely know each other." She caught herself. It was true, she barely knew anything about the woman except that she was attractive, intelligent, stubborn, and could handle a gun well enough to take down dozens of zombies without blinking an eye.

"I know I haven't wanted anyone as much as I want you." Rain was kissing her knuckles again. "I want to do this right. Shit. You fuckin intimidate me."

"I. Intimidate. You?" Anise was floored. "You, the badass soldier that was _bored_ in the Hive until you got to shoot something. How the hell does that happen?"

Rain actually looked nervous. Her voice wavered lightly. "You've seen me at my weakest, my most vulnerable, my absolute worst, and it didn't turn you off." Her lips twitched at her next thought, "I think it even made your crush worse."

"My crush?"

"Please. You were crushing on me before I met you in the control room."

Anise tried to argue. The words never made it to her tongue. She chuckled throatily, "You caught me, it was your ass. It drew me in even though I thought your squad was there to kill me."

Rain took a deep breath. She groaned. "Damn, I have to get out of this room or I'm going to lose control. You smell so fucking amazing."

The taller woman's grin turned feral. "Do tell."

Swatting away playful hands, Rain stepped away from their comfortable closeness. She had her hand on the doorknob. "You should rinse off in the shower too."

"Fuck." Anise groaned again. "Hey, wait."

Almost out the door, Rain looked over her shoulder. "What?"

"Your last name." Anise asked shyly. "I still don't know that."

"Ocampo." The feisty woman grinned and shut the door.


	6. Misnamed Licorice

A/N - revised 28Apr2013

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_**Misnamed Licorice**_

Once again, the survivors of Raccoon City were gathered around the dinner table. Large glass windows showed a backdrop of Chicago at night. At six in the evening the darkness was lit by city lights, and the stars were covered by clouds. That freak storm had passed quickly, and the roads were dangerous and slippery with the temperatures plummeting. Another storm and more snow was in the forecast overnight.

Buck had reminded Anise that they should return to Keeper Labs before too long. She had argued against it vehemently. The afternoon had been pleasant, spent exchanging stories and personal histories. Anise had been able to curl up beside Rain on the couch and unabashedly share her warmth. The kid won the argument however, because if they did not return soon, their friends would get worried and assume the worst.

Anise never stayed out too long. Usually she came home after a few hours of alone time for a hot meal. Dr. Brandon complained about her sudden disappearances with the only warning usually a written note on the lab whiteboard. The rest of the team was more understanding. Anise had a strong independent streak and coupled with her shorter attention span, loneliness, and wanderlust, she needed time to roam the huge city. The labs could get claustrophobic, and the pressure to save the world was stifling. She carried a disposable cellphone only for absolute emergencies. Umbrella had an awful habit of monitoring cell towers illegally. And since Buck always stalked her, they knew she had backup, just in case.

The group had discussed the spreading T-virus epidemic that Umbrella was still desperately trying to keep contained. People and small towns had been disappearing over the harsh winter. The unbelievable weather had undoubtedly bought them time after Raccoon City. September's strange heat wave had abruptly ended when a massive arctic cold front had settled over the Midwest. Awesome blizzards had pounded the central U.S., and travel had been incredibly difficult most of the winter. With people snowed in and power cutting in and out from downed power lines made it easier for Umbrella to corral infected and create cover stories.

With the onset of spring though, everyone who knew about the T-virus knew that time was running out. News stories were already popping up across the country about strange murders and riots. Keeper Labs had finally developed a counteragent to the T-virus. Unfortunately it was only good for botany. They had worked hard to spread it anyway. Seeding the waterways and sneaking it into fertilizers. Afterthought's backers came up with billions of dollars to throw into the projects. Money would not mean anything if the world died was the reasoning. Some hoped that the counteragent would stabilize through the food chain. There were no results to back that up yet.

Anise had shared this and asked the group if they would be willing to give blood and tissue samples. Especially Rain, the scientists would salivate over getting samples of the woman compatible with Anise. It surprised Anise how eagerly everyone agreed, even little Angie volunteered. On that note, Buck insisted that they needed to leave.

"You gonna be here for breakfast? Or second breakfast maybe?" Rain was asking, her lips quirked in their usual fashion.

"Eight o'clock. I'll bring the gear for playing vampire." Anise addressed the rest, "Make sure to drink plenty of fluids. I'm stealing a pint from everyone, and a light exercise will help the blood flow too."

"Come on. Kiss your girl goodnight and let's go." Buck prodded her in the hip. "See ya tomorrow, Rain." The teen waved goodbye and stepped out.

"Did he just call me your girl?"

"You sure as hell aren't a boy. You're too damn pretty, and I'm sure I would have noticed a hard on."

"Call me pretty again, and I'll drop kick your ass." Rain grumbled.

Anise just smiled and tilted her head down to kiss her favorite badass. She kept her hands to herself in an effort to avoid an 'R' rated moment. After all, Angie was just a few feet away.

"You know what? Your parents misnamed you."

Blinking in confusion, Anise frowned. "The hell are you talking about?"

Rain licked her lips. "You don't taste like licorice at all."

"I hate licorice, so I won't ever taste like it." Anise arched her brow. "What brought my name up?"

"Don't you know that anise is a spice that has a licorice like flavor?"

"I did actually. I'm impressed you do too. Don't tell me you're disappointed I don't match my name."

"No. I probably would have barfed if you actually tasted like licorice. That shit is worse than the bar you fed me on the train." Rain stole another kiss. "I'll see you in the morning."

Anise groaned, wanting to stay. Remembering Buck waiting just outside forced her to step back from Rain's tempting body and open the door. "Goodnight, Ms. Ocampo."

The door had almost shut when she heard Rain's whisper. That blasted woman knew Anise would hear. She knew the effect her voice would have. The blasted woman had purred. _Think of me when you touch yourself tonight_.

Anise practically ran to the elevator. While waiting for the car to arrive, Buck caught up and looked her over.

"You look a little red. Are you sweating?" Buck's voice jarred Anise from her vivid imagination.

"Uh." She swallowed thickly. "Probably. Let's get outside so I can freeze my ass off."

The robust teen looked confused for all of two seconds. "Wow. I want a woman that can do that to me."

Embarrassed he had caught on so fast, Anise coughed. "I'm not sure you should be jealous." Having a conversation like this with any other teenager would be unthinkable. Well, she _never_ would have this conversation with another teen. This was Buck, though, and he was practically a brother. She trusted him, and it was nice to share her thoughts. The empty elevator arrived, so they stepped in together, with Buck pressing the button for the lobby. The elevator started its journey down. "The power that woman has over me is almost frightening."

Disbelief flashed across his pale features. "Really? You two look good together. It can't be that bad. You sure don't seem to mind kissing her."

"Mind? I'm pretty out of it the moment she touches me." She scratched her neck thoughtfully. "It's just that before today I'd only spent a couple of hours around that woman. We barely even spoke. Mostly we were too busy trying to stay alive. Lust is understandable, but there's more. Way more." Anise struggled to express herself. "I like it, lots. It's just intimidating how much she's made me feel in such a short time."

Buck was quiet after that. They made their way through the posh lobby and out into the rapidly cooling night. Anise pulled her freshly laundered coat tighter and her borrowed knit hat down over her ears. They walked quickly to the taxi stand and hopped in a free vehicle. She gave the driver an address about three blocks away from the labs. A restaurant that she knew was popular and busy this time of night. Taking a cab directly home would be like waving a flag for Umbrella to come kill them all.

They strolled in to the wonderful smelling place and ordered some takeout. Sitting at the bar they wasted time making small talk about video games they both liked. Since Raccoon City they had lots of time stuck inside together. Buck had brought up the idea of going back to school only once, and Anise had tried to give him some hope for the future. She failed miserably as they both watched an amateur video of an infected woman killing her own kids. Two hours later that video had vanished from the cyber world. He never brought up school again.

Sometimes they had talked about living family. He had some extended family in Vermont, never met them or talked to them, he just knew they existed. Anise was his family now and he her's. Her own family had been told she had died in the nuclear plant meltdown. Umbrella was undoubtedly watching them for any sign of Anise ,so she had not contacted them in any way, except via one anonymous postcard.

It had been posted from a small town somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, a fellow in the resistance up there had sent it for her. All it said, in a standard computer font was: _When the world goes to shit, come here._ That was all she was allowed to risk. There was a facility being prepped for, well, just in case. She hoped it did not come to that, but believed otherwise. What she really hoped for was that, when it did happen, her parents, her brother and his wife, would go. There would be people looking for them and others' families and they would guide them to a safe haven. Anise wished that someone would tell her exactly where the secret facility was. Doc Brandon had refused, saying that keeping all their eggs in one basket was too dangerous.

Their food order was ready and the pseudo siblings made their way to the labs they called home. Anise fiddled in her bag for the fob that would let them in the alley door. Buck suddenly spoke up, a whisper really, meant only for her. "Do you think maybe your emotional connection is why she was compatible with Afterthought? Or because you're compatible your feelings are so strong?"

"No. I..." Her quick reply died in her throat. She truly considered it for a moment. "I don't know." Genetic engineering plus psychology would have given Belst a brain hemorrhage, she thought dryly, let alone her lesser brain. She found her fob and hovered it over the security plate. The light turned green, and she opened the door for them. Before she stepped over the threshold she whispered back. "And I don't care either."

* * *

Dr. Jane Brandon was pacing, as usual. "Hey, Doc, we brought you dinner." Buck proudly held up his bag of takeout. "We got you food from Big O!, your favorite."

"Young man, buttering me up with food is not going to make me any less angry with Anise." The elderly woman responded, miffed.

"I tried. Well, I'm going to bed. Later." He scampered away before the woman could reprimand him for his cheek.

"You are not a good influence on that young man." Dr. Brandon began.

"We found Rain."

"Yes, yes, I heard that it poured today..."

"No." Anise cut her off. "Rain, the commando from the Hive. She's alive."

The proper, gray haired lady with her starched lab coat and skirt, squealed like a girl. "Truly? The woman is alive? Healthy? How's her immune system? Any strange mutations or the enzyme? Does she heal like you? What about her has been improved? Did you get blood samples? When do we meet her?" When Anise did not immediately respond, she cried out. "Details, girl!"

Anise let her stew for a few more seconds before smiling widely. "Several other survivors from Raccoon City are with her as well." She paused and the doctor scowled. "Like Angela Ashford."

Dr. Brandon's eyes grew huge. The old scientist she knew _exactly_ who Angie was. "The girl? How is she? Is she keeping the T-virus under control? What about.."

She really was enjoying toying with the lead scientist. "I thought you wanted to know about Rain?"

The doctor stammered angrily. "Fine, fine."

"She's very healthy, heals almost as fast, and she could smell my arousal." She grinned wickedly at that last one.

"Anise! I don't need to know about your sex life! If that woman had her face in your honey pot, please do not share that with me!"

Sighing, the younger woman explained. "Sadly she never did." She smirked at the doctor's livid features. "I was barely aware of my excitement, and she picked up on it from several feet away. Her sense of smell is as sensitive as my hearing."

"Oh, why didn't you just say that to begin with?"

"This was more fun."

Dr. Brandon huffed at her impertinent ward. "Well, when is she coming over to..."

"She's not."

"Wha-? What do you mean? Not? That's just..." The woman was spluttering, her hands waving dramatically.

Anise held up a hand placatingly and explained softly, "It's too dangerous. She has to wear a disguise in public because Umbrella is still looking for her. There's a huge bounty on her head. She can't come here. You know what would happen if..." She trailed off.

The doctor took a breath. Her next words unwelcome in her mouth. "Yes. You're right. Of course."

Anise quietly accepted those rare words from the older woman and let her off the hook. "She's already agreed to give her blood. Buck and I are going to see her again tomorrow."

"And the Ashford girl?"

"Everyone agreed to give samples. I'm going to need enough gear for five: containers, needles, cooler, you know. If you put it all in a suitcase, no one will second guess it, since they're at a hotel. We're leaving at seven." She concluded.

"Everything will be ready. I don't need to say it, but..."

"You will anyway."

"Be careful, Anise. We cannot afford to lose you."

"Sure, Doc." Anise replied flippantly. She was already hurrying to her private bedroom, with its almost soundproof walls. She had a date with her imagination, which had been oh so delightfully tempted by one Ms. Ocampo.


	7. Lion Tamer

A/N - revised 28Apr2013

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_**Lion Tamer**_

Having been awake for several hours already, Anise had exercised, showered, fiddled with makeup and hair, changed outfits several times, and generally acted like a teenage girl going on her first date. Anise was more than antsy for Buck to finish his morning rituals so they could leave.

"Come on, slowpoke."

"Chill out, your girl can wait while I brush my teeth."

"Gerald..." She whined.

He pointed his toothbrush at her sharply. "Call me Gerald again, and I'm going back to bed."

Anise pouted, "You sound like Rain when I called her pretty."

"Seems reasonable, she's kind of too badass to be called that."

"But she is."

"You're crazy. She's powerful, sexy, and damn gorgeous, not pretty."

"Whatever. Can we leave now?"

Buck shoved her from their shared bathroom. "Out! If you don't leave me alone for twenty minutes you're gonna wait another hour. Why don't you go do fifty pullups? I should be done by then."

She was full of enough nervous energy she did exactly that after exchanging her form fitting sweater and jeans for gym clothes. Her young friend was in the doorway to the gym before she quite finished. He had a coffee mug in one hand and tossed her a towel when she dropped down from the bar. "You should touch up your makeup, and I can finish my coffee."

Anise toweled her light sweat from her body and checked her makeup. The green eyeliner was fine, as was her mascara, she just needed to powder away her shine. Cosmetics adjusted, she changed out of her gym clothes and back into her cute outfit. For Rain's sensitive nose, she refrained from applying perfume. "Are you ready yet?" She demanded of Buck.

He nodded, and they collected the vampire gear packed neatly in a suitcase that rolled behind him. She draped her stuffed satchel over her shoulder, and they exited through the alley door and outside security gates. Several inches of snow made their short trek slippery and fun. They raced each other, sliding down the sidewalks and dodging other pedestrians. Anise hailed a cab several blocks from the labs and gave the cabby the location of a coffee house near the hotel that she had looked up online.

Buck picked up another coffee and a hot black tea for Anise. Together they covered the easy distance to the hotel in friendly silence. Anise glanced at the entrance to the stairwell and ignored her longing to avoid the elevator. Twenty-five floors was a bit much to lug Buck and all their gear up when zombies weren't chasing them. They tossed their empty drink cups while waiting for the car. When it arrived, they joined a man with a newspaper and coffee in the elevator. Their companion exited midway up, and Anise started to fidget eagerly. Buck nudged her playfully, "You look excited."

"Not at all. You have me mistaken for someone else."

"Yep. That must be it."

Ding.

Down the hallway they chuckled and stopped at door 2508. Anise knocked three times. "Vampires!" She called out before listening intently.

Carlos said something about sex in the air, and Jill was snarking about being stuck with hormonal teenagers, to which LJ guffawed. Feet padded across the floor. They paused at the door, and Anise could hear Rain's breath on the other side as she checked the peephole. Her smile threatened to split her cheeks open, even the sound of Angie's sweet, yet still creepy, Red Queen sounding, voice could not dampen it.

"Hey." Rain opened the door. She was wearing a simple outfit of jeans and a short sleeved shirt. No beard, thankfully, and her hair looked freshly washed and braided.

"Hi."

They stood there looking at each other.

"Anise," Buck whined. "You're staring, kiss her or push her out of the way."

Said woman tossed him a glare before she followed his advice and captured Rain's lips with her own. They unwillingly separated when the teen nudged Anise again. Rain invited them into the suite so the duo could strip off their coats and boots like proper guests this time.

Greetings were exchanged among the gathering of survivors. Carlos explained that he had just ordered two of everything on the breakfast menu figuring that their two Supergirls and a teenage boy could eat enough to justify the buffet. The news was playing on the TV, and the anchorman describing a robbery that had happened overnight. Anise looked around realizing that yesterday's mess had been cleaned up properly with the exception of the cracked wall. "You guys gonna get charged for all the stuff I broke?"

"Probably. Doesn't matter. We've stolen enough money from Umbrella to cover anything you could possibly break." Carlos waved the matter away.

"In that case..." Anise began teasingly.

Rain wrapped her arms around the spicy woman's waist and leaned into her back, her mouth next to her ear. "Break anything else and Jill will bitch at me for hours." She complained quietly.

Anise frowned slightly until she realized what she could do from that position. She relaxed into Rain's hold, tilted her head down, and captured soft lips. "Fine." She mumbled.

LJ started clapping, "Alright, breakfast and a show. A man could get used to this."

Both women flipped him the bird and burst out laughing at their own unplanned, but synchronized actions.

"I don't think I've ever heard you laugh so nicely before." The young girl spoke up from her seat by the large bay window.

"Angie's right." Added Carlos, "Anise, you're hired. Make Rain laugh at least twice a day, and I think the woman might let her hair down."

Reaching behind her, she plucked Rain's braid up to look at it. The glossy hair was soft and smelled of shampoo. "I accept."

Their easy banter continued until Anise piped up. "Room service is here."

"What?" Carlos asked.

Knocking sounded from the front door. "_Room Service_!"

"Shit like that is either incredibly creepy, or insanely pimp." LJ laughed. "I'll let ya'll know when I figure out which."

Carlos moved to get the door while Rain hid in the bedroom since she was not in disguise. Anise moaned at the smells that drifted from the laden tray the attendant rolled into the suite. While the dishes were laid out, Buck and Anise occupied themselves by arguing about what superheroes were better. LJ jumped into their discussion with his take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and how Splinter could totally take Professor X. To their surprise, Jill did as well. She had a thing for the most recent incarnation of Ironman. Angie and Carlos mostly watched the show and the room service attendant spoke up about his favorites as well. Only Anise could hear Rain's comments about Witchblade, which she modestly chose not to share in the company of young ears.

Eventually, the food was set out, the attendant tipped and dismissed. Rain emerged from hiding and joined them at the table, taking the empty seat next to Anise. There really was a massive amount of food on the table. "Shit, Carlos. I think you might have ordered enough." Anise joked.

"Have you seen yourself eat?" He retorted. "Besides, you'll be here all day. There's lots of things that'll keep for a few hours so you and the other two garbage disposals can graze until lunch."

She was blushing and knew it. Her only consolation was that her blush made Rain's nostrils flare and the woman hissed. "Stop teasing her, fucker."

Damn, that husky voice. Anise almost moaned out loud. Rain's nostrils flared for a whole new reason, and the dark woman gave her an appraising look.

"Hey, LJ, you gonna go first?" Their resident cheerleader disrupted the sudden tension.

"Hell, no. I don't like needles to begin with. I'll let her stab one of ya'll first to see if she can even do it right. Then we'll see if I let her play vampire on me."

"Come on, LJ, don't you trust the lady?"

"Nope." He said around a forkful of scrambled eggs.

"Why the hell not?" Rain demanded.

LJ stalled his next forkful to answer. "There must be somethin sadistic about Anise if you like her." He chewed his eggs. "Or masochistic, either way, fuckin freaks me out." The man offered Anise a grin. "No offense."

Rain looked ready to detonate, Carlos was smiling around his own mouthful of food, and the others seemed to be waiting. Anise started giggling at the scenario around her. The people around her felt like family. A crazy dysfunctional, criminally inclined, slightly homicidal family, she amended. Add in a dangerous badass with an attitude problem that had the hots for her, and an infected little girl that was the spitting image of a nightmare, it was unreal. Her laugh was catching and quickly spread until the whole table was in an uproar. She laughed until she could not breathe anymore and just wheezed for a while longer, her smile aching on her cheeks.

"I like this one, Rain. She's as crazy as you are and has a better sense of humor." LJ got a biscuit thrown at his head and breakfast settled into light topics again.

* * *

Playing vampire could wait while their meal settled in their stomachs. Anise made herself comfortable in Rain's lap when the soldier planted herself in an armchair. Warm and comfortable, she closed her eyes for a catnap, ignoring Rain's amused grin.

* * *

"And then she jumped out of the third story window..."

"Buck, stop telling that story." Anise grumbled from her sleepy position with her face buried in Rain's neck.

"Into the heated hotel swimming pool."

"Buck!"

"Her hair was frozen before she made it to the car..."

"Dammit." She gave up and let him finish the true story about running from an Umbrella hit squad. When he finished his dramatic retelling, Rain whispered something in Spanish and refused to translate it. Carlos shrugged, as he didn't speak the language. Anise sighed and asked how long she had been asleep.

Buck told her it had been forty minutes and that Rain had slept almost as long. The men were lounging on the couches, and Jill was at her computer again. A small digital camera popped in front of the women's faces, held by small hands. The screen was lit and showed a picture of the two sleeping together. "Will you print that out, Angie?" Anise smiled winningly at the girl.

Angie was already moving toward Jill's desk. "OK. Do you want one too, Rain?"

Voice husky from sleep, Rain replied. "Yea. I'll stick it in my wallet with all the other women I've slept with."

"Bitch." Anise bit her ear lightly. She drew her teeth from the upper cartilage to the lobe and pulled gently. Hearing Rain's breath catch and her heart start to race, she paused before nipping the earlobe again. The woman's body shivered lightly. Anise had found a hot button. She grinned wickedly. "Thank you for volunteering, Rain."

Still out of it from her nap and Anise's teeth, Rain blinked glazed eyes. "What?"

"Buck, will you bring me the gear?"

"Sure," he offered.

Anise put her lips back to Rain's ear, "You get to be my first." She drew her tongue along the edge.

Rain's pupils dilated wonderfully. Her breath coming in shortened rasps prevented a very intelligent answer from her "O-okay."

Purposely keeping the woman off balance was delighting Anise. She quickly forgot that she had an audience as Rain's nose twitched. Anise knew she was wet again and so did her willing companion. "You're delicious, Ms. Ocampo." She drew out the 's', letting her lips brush the shell of Rain's ear. Buck was setting out the equipment so she continued teasing the woman under her. Trailing a hand from olive skinned wrist to sensitive elbow and over a twitching bicep, Anise had Rain completely vulnerable. It was delicious and intoxicating. Her hand continued over the covered shoulder to Rain's exposed neck and settled on her jaw. She traced the strong lines of it and ghosted her fingers over delicate cheekbones. Her soldier was a contrast of conflicting adjectives.

"Ready, Anise?" Buck had the gear ready to go, and had an iodine soaked swab held up to her.

The confident woman pulled on gloves as a mere formality and massaged the sensitive area inside of Rain's elbow for a promising vein. Finding one, she marked it with a pen. She plucked the swab from her assistant and rubbed it on the skin. Its cool touch roused Rain, and her eyes started to focus again. "What're you doin?"

"Prepping you."

"I...What?"

Anise taped the tubing to Rain's forearm and brushed her lips to Rain's jaw. Her teeth grazed the skin, and she followed with another kiss. Rain's heart was pumping furiously, exactly what Anise wanted.

"Never thought drawing blood could be so damn sexy." LJ whispered, reminding Anise of her audience, which she now could care less about.

Rain was putty under her ministrations. Best experience ever, Anise thought. Sadly, slipping a needle into a vein from her current position was impossible, and she had to stand up. As she did so, she planted her lips to Rain's then licked them. "Yum," she whispered against her supple mouth. Rain trembled.

Now beside the chair, with needle in hand, she found the vein again and slipped the needle in on the first try. She taped it in place and connected the tubes, checked the seal, and removed the clamps on the tubes to release the blood flow. Buck handed her a stress ball which she placed in Rain's outstretched hand. "Squeeze." She ordered the woman and placed a kiss to her temple.

The young assistant nudged an ottoman under Rain's feet. Anise directed Buck to manually massage the packet collecting the blood. She also filled several already labeled test tubes and rubber banded them together. By that time, Rain had regained her senses and was watching her efficiently prepare the blood samples. Anise took over massaging the blood bag, feeling suddenly strange at the warm fluid in her hands. This was a process she had been taught by Belst and had performed many times at both laboratories as everyone's blood was useful for experiments. But this blood was Rain's. That made it far more precious than anything else before and not just because of the blood's unique qualities.

Soon enough, the bag was full and Anise moved to clamp the tubes again and disconnect the equipment from Rain. She wadded a gauze pad and held it at the insertion point before removing the needle. Putting Rain's other hand over it, she told her to keep pressure on it. Anise peeled the tape and tubes from her arm. "Hold your arm up." The collected samples were stored in the cooler that Carlos had helpfully added ice to. Anise retrieved a cool glass of OJ from the breakfast table and put it in Rain's free hand. The woman sipped on it, her eyes fixated on the working woman.

"You can put your arm down now." Anise wrapped an adhesive bandage around the elbow to hold the gauze in place. "That's probably unnecessary, given how fast you heal. Oh well, take it off when it starts bugging you." She stripped off her gloves and tossed them in the trash.

"You have a strange skillset, Anise. Lion tamer, comedienne, and phlebotomist, what else can you do?" Carlos spoke up into the quiet room.

Anise sat on the chair's arm and draped her legs across a languid Rain. Her hand picked up and fiddled with the long braid of silken hair while Rain's dark eyes followed her every movement. "I can whip Buck's ass on Mario Kart, and I make some mean pancakes."

A light beep drew Anise's attention to Angie, who held the camera in her hands again. "That was just way too cool."


	8. Inner Fears

A/N - revised 27Apr2013

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_**Inner Fears**_

The new couple was taking a walk outside in the cold afternoon. Anise had just returned from dropping off the samples to the salivating research team. They had time to kill while rhe others needed to rest. Rain had donned her disguise again, knit hat hiding her hair, beard glued on, stitched leather coat obscuring her curves. Bearded Rain was odd. Anise had yet to attempt kissing her with it in place. They walked side by side, other happy TGIF pedestrians moved around them.

"How did you know I'm terrified of needles?" Rain suddenly asked.

"Say what?"

Rain glared for a moment at Anise.

"You are? But on the train you let me inject you with antivirus."

"I was exhausted and distracted then too. You really didn't know?"

"No, why?"

The cool expression on Rain's face dissolved, leaving it open and vulnerable. "That was the first time I've had blood drawn and did not freak out or have to take a Valium beforehand."

Anise was not sure what to say to that so she kissed Rain. Whiskers tickled her cheek and she pulled back. "Beards are for boys, dammit." She muttered.

Rain chuckled. "I am one for the moment," she whispered back. "There are straight girls jealous of you right now. Did you notice?"

A gaggle of women with shopping bags were watching the couple. One of them gave Anise a dirty look before turning her lusty eyes on _Raul_. The strangeness of it tickled Anise and she giggled. "That chick just glared at me. Weird." She bent her head down to claim willing lips again. "I guess I can ignore the beard for now. You still taste like orange juice." Looking back over at the women she flipped the bitchy one the bird and wrapped her other arm possessively around Rain. The shopper's shocked and angry look before she stalked away was worth the itchy beard kiss.

Rain leaned into her embrace and spoke quietly. "I was thinking about paying you back for making me a puddle of goo in front of the others. Then I thought that it was better than me being a crying mess."

"So now you owe me." Anise joked.

"No. Now you just know one of my secrets," was the soft reply.

Another joke was cut off before it passed her lips. This undefended, open side of Rain was such a strange departure from the strong soldier she had met in the Hive. It endeared the olive skinned woman to Anise even more. She considered kissing her again, then dismissed it as an unsuitable response. She thought about telling her one of her own inner fears, that did not feel right either. "Thank you," she settled on.

A gentle smile graced Rain's features, and her arm around Anise's waist flexed, fingers tightening on her hip. Her silent gestures signaled approval. Anise relaxed into their comfortable walk again.

Snowflakes began to drift on the air.

* * *

The two stopped to eat at a restaurant, not quite ready to go back to the crowded hotel. "There's something bugging me." Rain said around a mouthful of noodles.

"Hmm?" Anise was almost used to seeing the whiskers surrounding Rain's lips, almost. The beard had to go, she decided. "What?"

"You said that a Spec Ops instructor trained you, right?"

"Yes."

"Your hand to hand combat sucks."

"Aw, thank you, my dear sweet, _Raul_. You really know how to compliment a girl."

Rain rolled her eyes, "I shouldn't have able to keep pinning you like that yesterday."

"I was kinda terrified out of my mind then."

"Did you do any sparring with your instructor?" Her partner insisted.

Anise considered it for a few seconds. "Not really. Sarah just kept my body conditioned and would test me occasionally, for the project. I think she felt it was more like a self-defense class. Which it really was, I guess. No one actually expected me to be out in the field trying to wrestle with real soldiers."

Rain quietly ate her food for a while. The server came by to check on them, and they ordered dessert to share. "Is that how you think of me?"

"I think what of you?"

"A soldier."

"Well, yea. You were, right? Didn't you mention something about the Army with Kaplan?"

"There's more to me than a soldier." The woman seemed put out.

"I know." She responded seriously, then ruined it with her humor, "You're a pretty soldier."

"If we weren't in a restaurant I would punch you. I'm not a pretty girl, don't call me that." Rain growled.

Anise could not quite tell if Rain was really angry at the idea of being pretty or if it was just irritation and something she could tease the aggressive woman about. Their server came back with their chocolate dessert and two spoons. She stopped the young man before he could leave again. "Hey, do you think my boyfriend is pretty?" The server stuttered at her, glanced at _Raul_ then back to her. "I mean, look at him, flawless skin, beautiful eyes, perfect lips. Pretty, right?"

"I uh," he stalled to answer. Anise flashed her best smile, hoping to keep him from cowering under Rain's black stare.

"I am not pretty." Rain ground out.

"He doesn't believe I can want to have sex with him while thinking he's pretty. Is that so bad?" She batted her eyelashes innocently.

The server finally found his tongue. "If a woman as beautiful as you told me I was pretty and then told me she wanted to have sex with me, I wouldn't argue." He shrugged at _Raul_. "Sorry, buddy, I don't see how you have it bad. Uh, enjoy your dessert." He backed away quickly.

"I'm not pretty," Rain growled again. Her voice had dropped dangerously low, only for Anise's ears in the crowded bistro. "Pretty is for Barbies, girls who can't throw a decent punch, and models. I do not fall under any of those categories."

Anise was suddenly afraid she had pushed too far. Rain truly sounded pissed off, and her heart sunk in her chest. "Sorry." Was all she could manage to get out. She tried a bite of the dessert and found it too sweet for her depressed mood. The server saved her from further conversation by dropping off the check. She snatched it before Rain could, glanced at the bill, and dug through her bag for cash. After putting a fifty dollar tip in it for torturing the server she glanced at Rain to see her reaching for her coat. Anise followed suit and the two left the building.

Worrying about having already killed their budding relationship bothered the usually jovial woman. The attraction she felt for the woman striding angrily ahead of her was more than just physical, or some survivor attachment psycho babble stuff. It galled her to think she had ruined something so amazing because she gave in to the desire to make everything a joke. Her childish side had been a turn off to a lot of women in the past. She sighed.

Rain stopped dead in her tracks and whipped around to face Anise. The wind was blowing her loose hair into her eyes and she had to palm it away to properly look at Rain. "Why'd you stop? Is there a problem?" Anise cast her sights around the area. Nothing seemed to stand out as a danger, no Umbrella logos, or strangers staring at them. She heard Rain's heart start to race.

The other woman grabbed her wrist and led her into a side alley, out of the wind and crowd.

"Rain?"

"I could smell your fear. Is there something out there? Are you in danger?"

"Uh, I was going to ask you that."

"You were? What?" Rain leaned in and drew in a breath through her nose. "You reek of fear and something else, and I can't place it. What are you afraid of?"

Anise jaw went a little slack. She was not used to having another person around with an enhanced sense. "You," she mumbled.

"Me? You're afraid of me?" The pain in Rain's voice was raw, very raw. It took Anise by surprise.

"No! No. Not of you," Anise hurriedly backpedaled, trying to reassure the other woman. "I- shit- I...I'm afraid my childish behavior has ruined this thing between us already." She managed to stammer out, rushing her words at the end.

"That got you this afraid?"

Anise took a breath to control her raging emotions. "You sounded so angry back there, and I … well, women have turned me down because they think I'm too immature with my need to make jokes all the time."

"But I like your sense of humor."

"You didn't laugh when I got that waiter to agree with me calling you pretty. You seem pretty fuckin pissed."

Rain stood still and reached a hand up to scratch at her glued on beard. She stopped herself before it could start to peel. "I'm angry because I'm afraid you don't really want me for me, that you want me for something you imagined back in the Hive."

"What?"

"You call me pretty, and a soldier, and stare at my ass. Dammit. I can't help thinking that you haven't really seen _me._ You were right last night when you said we barely know each other. My nose only tells me when you're aroused and fuck, you do joke a lot. It's hard to tell where you draw the line between serious and entertainment."

Shit, Anise thought. Rain's heart sounded like it was going to pound through her chest, just like her own. Her jumbled thoughts bounced around her head and she spouted the first sensible words she could find. "We've been reunited for less than two days, and we're already having conversations this intense? And they're about how worried we are about how much the other feels?" Taking a breath, she composed her scattered thoughts. An idea sprouted amidst the chaos, and she readily pounced on it. "Rain, can your nose tell you when someone is lying?"

"Yes."

"Good."

A pedestrian strolled by and smiled at the couple standing so close to each other. The older man tipped his hat and continued on his way.

"Rain, I'm attracted to you. So much so it's fuckin ridiculous. I'm more comfortable, intrigued, excited, enthralled, satisfied... more _everything_ around you. Frankly, it scares the shit out of me." She took a breath and tried again. "It's not just what we went through together back in the Hive. Whatever this is began there, but it's not all of it. I think of you as being pretty, strong, intelligent, gentle, self-sacrificing, sexy, capable, stubborn, compassionate. If it helps, I can name things I don't like about you."

"Really?" Sarcasm soaked the response.

"Yea, I hate that beard on you. And you uh, umm, maybe not yet." Anise smiled weakly then moved on. "I have never felt a physical need to touch someone before. Normally, I don't even touch people. It's just not my thing, friendly hugs and handshakes or tickle fights are about it for me. But you, damn, the idea of not being able to touch you is fucking unreal.

This is me being absolutely serious, I want to be with you in every sense of the word. And I really hope that you feel the same about me." Anise was having trouble breathing, so she closed her eyes and just listened. She drowned out the rest of the world and focused on Rain, her erratic breathing, her racing heartbeat. It helped keep her from bawling her eyes out.

The other woman seemed to digest what Anise had just given her for several minutes. Her breathing grew more steady, and her heartbeat slowed during those minutes. "You really aren't afraid of me?" Her voice carried the deepest fear that Rain obviously held.

Two hazel eyes flew open to meet Rain's worried gaze. "No." She let herself smile. "Only what you do to me."

"Me vuelvos loca." Rain muttered.

"What? You're speaking Spanish again?"

"Si, Picantecita."

"You gonna translate that?"

Lips pulled into her half-grin, Rain replied smugly. "No."

"How come you've never said anything in Spanish before?"

"No one else does, and I like cursing in English better. It felt right to speak it now."

"Felt right to torture me, huh?"

"Si."

Anise rolled her eyes. Rain's expression returned to being serious and thoughtful. They stood inches apart, gazing into each other for some time. The taller woman was resisting her impulse to just kiss Rain and get it over with, as she had a hard time handling such intense, quiet moments. She refused to give in to it, knowing that Rain was the one who acted after careful thought and needed the time to do so. Her deep breath and breaking eye contact were all she allowed herself. Slowly, she released the air from her lungs and opened her eyes again.

"OK, then." Rain finally spoke, her poker face on. "I'm fine with being your pretty soldier if you'll be my delicate scientist."

"Delicate?"

"Which one of us carried the other out of the Hive?"

The taller woman's mouth fished. "But, I was..." Her eyes narrowed at Rain's steady expression. "Fine. Scientist?"

"You've spent most of the last few years in a lab. It's either that or you're an experiment."

"Got me there, but delicate? Really?"

"Girly cosmetics, always getting injured, my face hurt your fist, and I barely felt your punch."

"I jumped out of a three story building and survived."

"You landed in a swimming pool. I survived a helicopter crash, into the side of a mountain. Compared to me, you're a very delicate girl."

"But..."

"You called me pretty."

Anise felt like stamping her foot. She frowned instead and grumbled. "You win." Sighing in defeat, she cursed to herself, "Fuck me."

"Oh, I intend to."

She was startled speechless, and Rain's husky chuckle sent warm shivers through her body.

The woman leaned back from Anise. "Shit, I'm glad we're outside. I still can't believe how good you smell. Damn. I don't usually hold back when I want to fuck. Just get the urge out of my system, but..."

Anise was flattered and a little disappointed Rain wouldn't just jump her bones.

"But this is you. I want more than just a fuck."

"What, you think we should wait? I know it's more than just a fuck. It'll be a really awesome, mind blowing fuck with the woman that I've been dreaming about for months. Then I get to take a nap, with my arms tangled around your sweaty body, and wake up to the sound of your heartbeat." She let her voice go soft, to help prove she felt more than just lust for Rain. "Waking up next to you, with the scent of you, the sounds of you, is what I'm really looking forward to."

Rain's lusty expression turned thoughtful. "We need space away from the others. Jill would pitch a fit and Angie is a bit young to be in the room next door. When we get back to the hotel, you should ask for a room. It'll look strange if I do, since we've been staying there for over a week now."

Anise let out a loud holler. "Oh, hell yes!"

"Bonita y loca." Rain remarked.

The woman shuddered at the exotic language, pressing her lips to Rain's. Snow started to pile on their heads before Anise pulled back. She nipped at her soldier's lower lip. "Stupid beard is making this weird," she muttered before licking her lips. "Let's go before I explode."

* * *

Translations:

Me vuelvos loca = You drive me crazy  
Picantecita = a contraction, picante meaning spicy, hot (in a sexy way) cita added to make it an affectionate term. Because Rain wouldn't just use a normal term of endearment like sweetie or dear.  
Bonita y loca = beautiful and crazy


	9. Sparring, Riots, and Plans to Leave

A/N - revised 28Apr2013

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_**Sparring, Riots, and Plans to Leave**_

They had returned to the hotel, cold, covered in snow, excited, and as luck would have it, an enormous convention crowd was jammed into the main lobby. Lines crawled to the front desk and luggage covered almost every inch of tiled floor. Anise overheard a front desk agent making phone calls to other hotels. All of their rooms were overbooked. The rest of Chicago sounded like it was having trouble housing the travelers also. Somebody was probably gonna be fired over the mess, most likely a few. Anise sighed at her luck.

"Maybe not tonight, Picantecita." Rain brushed her lips over Anise's cheek after they heard the dismal news.

On the wait for the elevators, Anise tried to convince Rain to take the stairs. Failing that, she goaded her to take her out back in the alley. Rain smiled and refused saying she did not want her delicate scientist to get frostbite on her ass. Anise grumbled and switched tactics to light conversation. "So, what's the deal with you and orange juice?"

"My mom always got us kids OJ whenever we were sick, had to do something we didn't want to, or when we just were feeling down. She would say 'orange juice makes everything better'. It stuck with me."

"Tell me about your family."

"I've got four brothers scattered all over, and I'm the middle kid. My parents are back in Phoenix. Ran into my oldest brother in Houston back in November. He was on shore leave from the Marines. Scared the shit outta him, but he promised to pass on that I'm alive and that the video was real. Haven't talked since, too dangerous."

Anise nodded at that, not contacting family to keep them safe from Umbrella. "Four brothers? That explains a lot."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"You are wearing a beard." She thought of something and asked it quietly, seeing as they were still surrounded by people. "If my girlfriend wears a beard, does that put me back in the closet?" She paused. "Or her?"

The bearded woman just rolled her eyes, and they stepped into the elevator.

* * *

Rain had insisted that she at least try to fix the problems with Anise's lacking martial training. Anise agreed mostly to burn off some of her sexual frustration. They changed into more of Rain's clothes. The soldier was in cut off sweatpants and an exercise bra. Her exposed body greatly distracted Anise who struggled to pull on shorts and a tank top. Since the hardwood floors were brilliantly waxed, they left socks for better traction. The exercise was providing a good outlet for her energies, although the close quarter sparring, with Rain's glistening skin so close...

WHUMP!

Anise hissed at yet another harsh impact to her ribs. "Shit. Rain, you hit like a fuckin freight train."

"Damn, you won't even hold back for your girlfriend?" LJ laughed. He and Angie were enjoying the evening's entertainment. They were in the living area, and all the furniture had been shoved aside to make room for their combat training. Buck was leafing through a gun magazine, mumbling about Ruger rifles and Glocks. The grumpy cheerleader was at her laptop again and trying hard to ignore them. When Carlos had offered to join, Rain agreed and asked for thirty minutes to get a proper feel for Anise's skill level.

"Those Umbrella assholes won't hold back." Rain responded dryly and flipped him off, then dropped her voice to a low whisper for her scientist's ears. "I am pulling my punches. It doesn't seem right that I got stronger and faster than you."

Anise frowned, it really didn't make sense. She knew Rain wasn't trying to bash her, just pointing out the inequalities of their, for lack of a better word, mutations. For all that Afterthought had been about a cure to the T-virus, her enzyme acted a hell of a lot like it. They had spent some time discussing the changes in their enhancements.

Only her hearing and ability to sense pressure changes were exceptionally better than Rain's. Her healing factor was slightly faster, and her night vision a little better. Everything else, Rain took the cake. The soldier's metabolism was more stable, stamina, strength, and speed doubled, vision better than perfect, and of course, she was now practically a blood hound.

"Still feels like I got hit by a bus." Anise muttered.

"Get back in your stance and stop bitching."

Anise unwillingly did so and prepared herself for more bruises.

"I want to beat the shit out of your instructor. You are seriously lacking here." Rain spat after about twenty minutes of simple maneuvers.

"Thanks, I already knew that..."

"No. I mean, she completely left you high and dry." She launched another assault on Anise that ended with the pale woman on her ass. Rain shook her head. "Your coordination is good, you have a natural feel for the rhythm of a fight, and you take a punch decently. And your ears clue you in to attacks you can't see."

The scientist got back on her feet and wiped the blood from her lip. "But I still suck."

Rain sighed. "It's nothing that proper training and experience won't cure."

"Anise, Rain is complimenting you, in her special way." Carlos spoke from his spot in the corner, doing warmups. "She's right. If your instructor had paid any attention to you, you'd be giving Rain a good run for her money."

"You're serious?"

The man nodded.

Rain's lips lifted. "I could come at you full throttle and probably be challenged, if she'd bothered teaching you more than basics."

Carlos strode over. "What if the woman saw what Anise could be and just pretended not to?"

"What? Why the fuck would she do that?" Disgruntled, the Latina rounded on him.

"Maybe she was afraid of what she saw."

"But..." Anise was not convinced. "I can barely follow Rain's movements enough to block them, and hitting her is damn next to impossible."

"You can dodge her and you have hit her." Carlos gestured at a bruise on Rain's abdomen. It had blossomed purple and would probably be gone by morning.

Anise crossed her arms over her chest. "Right, that makes me feel so much better."

"Rain, you mind? She needs to compare herself to a mere mortal. Her fighting you would've made her look bad before you became Supergirl." The Hispanic man chuckled.

Snorting lightly, Rain stepped back for him to take over. "This should be good."

"Uh, what's going on?"

"Let's spar. Neither of us will hold back, OK?" Carlos settled into his ready stance.

Anise shook her head and crouched back down. "Sure."

The next ten minutes completely changed the way she felt about Rain's proclamations. Sparring with Carlos was completely different. At first, she thought he was holding back on her, pulling his punches. Then she picked out his increasing heartbeat, his sweat dripping. It confused her, and she took a painful foot to her gut.

Yes, he had a hell of a lot more experience at combat than Anise. Yes, he had many more advanced techniques under his belt. Yes, he had a mean ass battle face that intimidated the fuck out her. Anise almost felt like she was dancing with him.

Her counterattacks were pretty futile, and she was mostly evading, yet it was more than she'd managed against Rain. The soldier had said she was pulling her punches and staying slow, so she wouldn't be much faster than Carlos. What the fuck was going on?

Carlos was attacking faster now, landing blows, pushing her back, keeping her off balance, and suddenly his right hook was about to connect with her face. She blinked. Her left arm was moving to block it, her body was already twisting, her right elbow was speeding for the exposed underside of his arm. It would hit just _there_, in that soft vulnerable part below the bicep. Something in the back of her mind slowed the momentum just as Rain's yell to stop reached her ears.

WHACK!

Anise stepped back before the pain registered on Carlos' face. It dawned on her that Rain wasn't just good, strong, and fast; she was really, really fucking good at combat. Anise felt a little better about being able to land a punch on Supergirl.

* * *

"I told you she just needed to spar with a normal person." Carlos was sitting in an armchair, his arm wrapped in ice. "Thanks for not breaking my arm, by the way."

"Uh, yea." Anise rubbed the back of her sweaty neck.

Rain was standing next to her and gestured at Carlos. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"No, I wasn't trying to break his arm."

"Dammit, Anise. I meant, do you realize you actually slowed yourself down, so you wouldn't break his arm?"

She blinked. "Uh."

"Did you even know that hitting him there could've really fucked him up?"

Anise stopped rubbing her neck. She poked the same spot on her own arm. "Really?"

Chuckling, the injured man scratched his beard. "Raw talent. You said it yourself, Rain."

* * *

They showered off, separately, and changed back into regular clothes. Anise missed the display of olive skin over tantalizing muscle. Mentally, she ranted about fucking conventions and the stupid ass motherfuckers that attended them. Her silent bitching was broken by a loud 'YES!' hollered from the living area. Anise wandered out of the bedroom to investigate. Something had gotten into Jill, and she was in full cheerleader mode, bouncing in her seat in front of her computer. "Oh my god. Oh. My. God."

Anise flopped down next to Buck on a couch. She idly looked over the magazine in his hands.

"What?" Carlos irritably asked.

"I found her."

Suddenly, the room erupted as everyone fought about who got to look over Jill's shoulder at her laptop. Back on the couch, Anise exchanged looks with Buck.

"What's going on?" Anise asked.

Rain turned around, her face full of excitement. "She found Alice."

* * *

"We should leave tonight." Jill was arguing.

"We'll leave in the morning."

"Just because those two want..."

"Jill!" Carlos cut her off, "We need the time to prepare. You know this mission could go _very_ wrong. There won't be another chance if we fuck this up."

"Yea, I got to clean my custom babies, make sure they're ready to kill us some Umbrella fuckers." LJ joined. "Got calls to make too. I got some cousins up in Detroit, they could set us up with the perfect wheels, all official looking and shit."

"Exactly, we need to finish forging those documents, set up escape routes, a safehouse. Jill, you know we need the time to do this. Quit acting like a jealous bitch. Let Rain be happy, at least someone gets to be around here." Carlos' voice carried his anger and resentment toward Jill.

"Now tell us. Where is she?" Rain demanded.

Jill bared her teeth at the man and explained. "Detroit Umbrella facility, experimental division."

* * *

"So, why does Jill stick around anyway?" Anise leaned into Rain and whispered. They were back on the couch, the group sitting in the living area, discussing plans to rescue Alice.

"For Angie." Rain whispered back. "Kinda glad she has, even if she's a royal bitch. Woman's got major hacking skills. And she probably feels like she owes Alice something, we all do. She saved our asses back there."

"Oh."

"Alice was purposely infected by those fuckers and for whatever reason, she didn't mutate into a freak. Her body just adapted, making her stronger, faster, more powerful in every way."

Anise arched an eyebrow. "As strong as you?"

"At least, maybe more." Rain hesitated. "Matt mutated, he became a monster that Alice was forced to fight. They had him brainwashed or something, but he eventually snapped out of it and helped us escape before he died."

"Shit. Poor Matt. And Alice, it must've been hard having to fight him. I know I would've, he was a good guy."

Rain's next whisper was hesitant and worried. "It makes me wonder if they did anything to us, or Kap."

Anise shrugged. "They just sewed me up and probably took blood samples, I'm sure. Nothing changed about me. I hope they left Kap alone."

"What about me? What if they fucked with me?"

"If they did, all that changed was you became even more amazing. Don't give me that look. I'm quite serious. I am capable of that, you know. If, and I really, truly doubt they did anything, because my gut instinct says they didn't. If they did, the labs will figure it out from your blood that I dropped off earlier." Anise smile winningly and placed a kiss to her girlfriend's hairline. "Doc Brandon was practically foaming at the mouth when I showed up with that cooler."

A bit of a smile shone through Rain's fearful expression. "Everyone wants a piece of me."

"I sure as hell do."

The group discussed another point. Buck was full of helpful little surprises. Anise secretly wondered if he studied tactics and rescue missions as penance for not saving his family.

"How did Umbrella catch her?" Anise asked about Alice.  
Rain gave her a strange look. "She was dead."

"Dead?" Anise squeaked.

"From the helicopter crash."

"So... How is she alive?"

Angie interrupted with, "Probably a combination of the T-virus and the experiments they're doing on her. She was infected, similar to me. Except that Umbrella forced it on her."

"OK. How did you guys figure out she was alive?"

The girl looked down at her shoes before bringing her eyes back up to meet the scientist's. She studied her for a moment before replying. "I can hear her sometimes."

"You can hear her?"

"It feels much like how I can sense another infected. I just _know_ Alice is alive." The girl finished and waited, probably expecting Anise to call her a liar or crazy.

For her part, Anise figured telepathy was just as impossible as growing back a chunk of her hand because a zombie bit it off. Shit, she laughed because she could not help believing the kid. "Weird. Is she the only one you can hear like that? What else did the T-virus give you?"

"You believe me?"

"Why not? I can hear all of your hearts beating when I pay enough attention."

"Really? You can hear that? From across the room?" Angie chirped excitedly.

"What, don't you believe me, Little Miss Telepath?"

The young lady giggled and smiled widely. Her likeness to the Red Queen had diminished greatly as Anise spent more time with her, thankfully. She grinned back and winked. "So, got any other freaky mutant powers?"

"Nope, not like you and Rain." Angie shook her head before giggling again.

LJ flipped the TV on and they all stopped to watch a breaking news broadcast on violent riots in Columbus, Ohio. Riots, my ass, Anise thought. Umbrella had finally lost control over the spreading infection. She knew there was little time left before the T-virus devoured the country. "I can't go with you guys." She unwillingly announced.

"Why not?" Jill demanded. Somehow, Anise just had not expected that reaction.

"I'm gonna say this out loud. You don't like me, why would you want me to roadtrip with you?"

The woman looked caught, grimaced. "Dammit. Rain says you can handle yourself. So, I thought, maybe, ugh," she groaned. "You and your freakish hearing would be useful."

"I'm flattered, I think."

"So, why the fuck aren't you coming?" If Anise was anyone else, she would not have caught the pain in the angry question. She wasn't and she did, so she put a gentle hand on her girlfriend's thigh.

"Umbrella cannot catch me."

"Like I don't have a bounty on my head too?"

Anise sighed. "We haven't developed a true cure yet. I can't risk Umbrella fucking that up. This is about saving the world from their stupidity."

"Fuck the world."

"I can't do that. Just like you won't leave Alice to rot in an Umbrella facility."

Rain looked defeated, and it made her heart ache.

"Why don't we get them a stash of antivirus for the trip?" Buck spoke into the suddenly cold room. "We can be back in a couple hours and stay here tonight. Share breakfast again before they leave. If that's alright with you guys."

"That would be great." Responded Carlos, obviously trying to lighten the mood with humor. "Antivirus is kinda hard to come by. It's a fair trade. We can put up with you two moochers for the night."

Standing, Buck offered. "If we leave now we can have dinner when we get back."

"OK." Anise stood up to follow.

They were putting their coats and snow boots on when Rain entered the foyer, Anise's shoulder bag in her hand. "This fuckin blows."

"I know." She sighed and twitched the strap over her head and settled the bag comfortably.

Two strong arms wrapped themselves around Anise from behind. "I hate Umbrella." Rain grouched into her neck. "I can't wait till those bastards get what's comin to them."

Anise leaned back into the embrace. She met Buck's somber blue eyes. "Somehow, I don't think anyone here would disagree with you."

After a few moments, Rain unwound her arms and gave Anise a light push. "Get out and hurry the fuck back."


	10. Estella

A/N - revised 28Apr2013

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_**Estella**_

The dynamic duo took the usual precautions of walking a few blocks away and then taking a cab to a restaurant near the labs. Once inside, Anise was accosted by the the lab team with results from Rain's blood tests. Everyone was very excited for the new data and couldn't wait to get more samples for further testing. Anise was chagrined at the sad features of her keepers when she advised them to be prudent with the blood they had. Rain was leaving in a few hours and new samples weren't happening anytime soon. The looks and comments made her feel like she had just kicked their new puppy.

Obtaining a store of antivirus was not the battle she had been expecting. Dr. Brandon simply waved them off saying antivirus was one thing that wasn't in short supply. While they waited on a tech to put a case together, they discussed the news broadcasts of the Ohio 'riots', aka zombie hordes. Buck mentioned wanting a shower and disappeared, so Anise took the time to refresh her makeup, change clothes, and pack an overnight bag. Fast enough, they were ready and grabbed the large suitcase full of antivirus. Once in a cab on the way over, Anise realized that she forgot to find a Spanish dictionary. She cursed, knowing Rain would continue to use it to her advantage.

* * *

They were walking across the hotel lobby when a woman in a brilliant azure dress caught Anise's attention and winked. Automatically, she returned the gesture with a smile for the bewitching woman. Her eyes traveled down the exquisite figure. That dress showed off an amazing body, handsome breasts, and gorgeous skin. Exposed by a slit in the skirt of the floor length dress a shapely leg peeked out every other step. Sexy heels and painted toes finished the bottom. Anise dragged her gaze back up. Raven locks of hair were delicately curled, shining glossy and healthy. Necklace, earrings, and bracelets twinkled with gold and diamonds in the lobby lighting. The ravishing beauty was sashaying her way across the room, fully aware of Anise's undivided attention.

Buck turned around to check on his older friend with the suitcase full of antivirus. She had fallen several steps behind him. Finding her staring off to the side, he followed her gaze and sputtered. "I-is t-that...Is that Rain?"

Unintelligent dribble replied. Anise got out one understandable word. "Yum?"

The woman in the striking blue dress caught up with the two dumbfounded friends. Hand on a hip she posed attractively. "Hey. I'm new in town. You wanna buy me dinner?" She directed her question to Anise, who stood open mouthed staring at her.

"Rain?" Anise squeaked.

"Picantecita?"

"Holy shit."

If possible, Rain grew even more smug. She gestured at her feminine ensemble. "So, you like it?"

Anise's eyes traveled down and up from delicate heels to perfectly drawn eyes. "Who the fuck is this pretty girl and what the hell did you do with my soldier?"

Rain's lips twitched slightly. "Thought I'd surprise my girlfriend."

"Buck, take these." She shoved the suitcase and her overnight bag at him. "I've got a date."

"Uh. Sure. You two have fun." He managed to speak. "Later," he stumbled to the elevator.

Divested of something to do, Anise lost herself staring at the awesome sight before her. "I feel really under dressed right now."

"Actually, you're the one in the coat and sweater. I think you're wearing a little too much." Rain let her comment sink in to Anise's barely functioning brain before leaning in and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Stare later. Take me to dinner now."

"Right." Anise started moving her feet at Rain's not quite gentle push. Slowly, as they progressed from the lobby to the very stylish steakhouse, Anise's brain kickstarted itself. "What about the disguise, the bounty on you?" She questioned quietly.

"Everyone looks for that soldier of yours, not some pretty girl out on the town. You should call me something else tonight though. Just in case." They stepped up to the doors and a handsome male host opened the doors for them. His smile was gentle as he took in their joined bodies.

"Welcome to Roger's. May I take your coat, ma'am?" He had a rich tenor voice that settled Anise and her buzzing nerves.

"Thank you." After pulling off her hat and shoving it in a coat pocket, she let him take the garment and hand her a number for it. She ran her fingers through her messy hair attempting to revive the volume.

"My pleasure. Irene will seat you." The man gestured to the podium where a hostess looked up at them expectantly.

Rain whispered in her ear. "We have reservations under the name Colt."

Irene looked the two over, not quite hiding her surprise at the mismatched couple. Rain in an evening dress and Anise in snowboots and hat hair. Her voice was eager to please though, professionally courteous. "Good evening, ladies. Do you have a reservation?"

"Two for Colt." Anise smiled politely at the hostess.

"Of course. Right this way please." The woman picked up two menus and smoothly led them to a table in the busy steakhouse. Conversations buzzed and light music played through the air. The place had a cozy, romantic feel with its dark woods and rich color scheme. Irene pulled out a chair for Rain before smiling and telling them that their server would be by in a moment.

Anise looked at her date curiously. "Do you like red wine?"

"I'm down with whatever." She responded easily before placing her elbows on the table and leaning into them. "Gotta name yet?"

"Uh, Mulan?" Responding was hard with Rain's framed breasts being thrust forward so nicely.

"Do I fucking look Asian?"

"Come on. You in that dress is making it hard to think here." Anise pouted.

"Good evening." A short man with a suave goatee and hairdo greeted them. A pitcher of ice water in his hands was used to fill their waiting glasses. His brilliant gray eyes shone with lust as his eyes wandered over the women. "My name is Patrick. I'll be your server. What may I get you to drink?"

"Does your wine list include anything local? I prefer to support domestic."

"It does." He returned smoothly, tearing his eyes from Rain's chest to address Anise. Flipping open the wine list he indicated the names of domestic wineries. She ordered a bottle of Cabernet at his suggestion. Smiling again and stealing another glance at Rain's breasts, the man stepped away to retrieve her alcohol.

"Estella."

"What?"

"It's my name."

"Huh?"

"Keep up, mamacita. The dumb blonde routine is gettin old."

"Right. Sorry. I'm still having a hard time wrapping my mind around you in a dress. Don't get me wrong. I like it. A lot!" Anise took a breath. "Really a lot. That color does amazing things for you. Have you had that dress and jewelry hiding in your suitcase or what?"

"Actually. Yea. We crashed an Umbrella holiday party that we got all swanky for. Carlos looked pretty good in his tux."

Anise laughed. "You crashed an Umbrella party and that dress didn't end up with bullet holes?"

"I was the distraction." Rain chuckled, her dark eyes smoldering.

"I'm sure you were." Smiling lazily, she took the opportunity to visually caress her date. Rain had never struck Anise as the type to get all gussied up in a dress, but she was certainly not going to complain. Whether in commando gear or the steamy evening gown, the woman had Anise's heart all aflutter. Other parts of Anise were aflutter too, and she squirmed slightly in her seat. She watched as a sensitive nose informed Rain of Anise's southern flutters. Twin points appeared, stressing the fabric of Rain's dress and chocolate eyes turned a brilliant ebony. It was Anise's turn to grin smugly, relishing in how very physically she affected the soldier.

Patrick returned with the bottle and glasses, presenting the label to Anise who had to peel her eyes off her date. She inspected the label before nodding in satisfaction. He proceeded to expertly open it and pour a finger's worth in her wine glass. The enhanced woman picked up the glass and gently swirled the burgundy liquid around. She brought it under her nose to breathe in the aroma. Catching Rain's interested gaze, she held out the glass for her, flashing her dimples. "Should I yield to your expert nose, Estella?" Anise liked the way the name sounded and made a mental note to use it again.

Lips pulled into an unusually bright smile, Rain waved it off. "There're plenty other things for my expert nose right now. I trust you not to kill me with bad wine."

Grinning back, Anise kept her eyes on the woman leering at her and sipped from the glass. She let the liquid roll over her tongue and nodded approvingly. The full flavor was smooth and had wonderful endnotes. A second, larger mouthful concluded her taste. "It's excellent."

"Fantastic." Patrick poured for both women and proceeded to explain the evening's specials. They ordered appetizers and their main courses while Patrick's eyes drifted back to Rain's chest where they had already spent far too much time.

Anise had enough, even if Rain did not seem to mind the attention. Those breasts were _not_ public domain and she had a jealous streak. "Patrick!"

His eyes darted to her's at the sharp tone. "Yes, ma'am?"

"I know that they are so very tempting to stare at." Anise continued crisply. "However, if you would like to experience a generous tip tonight, you'll keep better control of your eyes."

To his credit, the man bowed his head. "Of course. I apologize to you both."

"OK then. As long as we understand each other this won't be an issue, right?" Anise captured the man's gaze.

"I understand. Thank you. I'll get those appetizers in for you right now." Patrick briskly walked away to the server station.

"Classy. You're sexy when you get all wound up."

Heat rushed to Anise's cheeks at the compliment.

"What are you wearing under that sweater?"

"Trying to undress me already?"

Voice low and sultry, Rain replied, "Actually, I was thinking those top buttons could be undone. I'd get an awesome view and it would frustrate Patrick." She finished maliciously.

Running a hand through her hair, Anise thought about it. She was not a fan of showing off her own cleavage, but if Rain wanted to look that was different. Come to think of it, "That's the first time you've mentioned liking to look at me."

"No way." Rain retorted immediately, and her eyes grew wide.

Anise shook her finger at her date. "You've only told me you like my scent and sense of humor. I can't think of a time you stared at any of my assets."

Snorting, she glibly replied, "Then you're more oblivious than I thought."

Not sure whether to be more insulted or intrigued, Anise leaned her chin on her knuckles and gestured with her free hand at Rain. "Then enlighten me, please, my dear woman."

The usual smirk faded from red painted lips. "Gotta be fuckin kidding me."

Anise raised an eyebrow at the change in expression and increasing heartbeat.

"Wow." Even the oblivious could tell that Rain was stalling. "I feel like if I say something now it'll sound all forced and weird and shit."

Lips pressed into a thin line. "Rain."

"Your appetizers, ladies." Patrick arrived with food and set it out on the table. He purposefully looked only at their faces before smiling and leaving.

Sighing, Anise poked at the steaming dish of mussels and picked one out to eat. She knew Rain liked her, was attracted to her, and had gone through the trouble to impress her. It still sucked that the headstrong woman couldn't bring herself to compliment one of her physical features. Her lower lip jutted out on its own accord.

"Tienes los ojos más bonitos del mundo."

Anise snapped her head up to meet Rain's tentative gaze. Whatever the hell the woman had said sounded good. "English, Estella." She wanted it clarified.

"I love your eyes. Really like the rest of you too. You got killer legs. But your eyes, fuck."

A smile pulled at the corner of Anise's mouth. "And what does that oh so eloquent term, 'fuck', imply about my eyes?"

Rain scooped up a slice of garlic bread to stall again. She winked as she took a bite, to soften its effect. Swallowing the mouthful with a drink of wine, she tried on a soft smile, her dark eyes rich with emotion. "First and best thing I noticed about you. They're so open and they sparkle when you smile. You've got this gold and green outer iris, but the inside is a silky, milk chocolate brown. In the sunlight, your eyes, they just, hell, they glow." She hesitated, yet her eyes never left Anise's. "I get lost in them."

Momentarily speechless. Anise couldn't imagine how she had managed to land such a complex woman. Of course, she had to ask. "Don't tell me you fell for my eyes while you had your gun trained on my forehead?"

The shadow on their table startled her from staring at Rain's vulnerable face. Looking up, she caught Patrick's shocked expression. "How the heck did you two meet?"

Rain's jaw worked silently so Anise offered up a story. Somehow, she managed to keep a serious face. "I stole fifteen million dollars from a Colombian drug lord. He hired Estella here to hunt me down, kill me, and get the money back. She slaughtered the bodyguards I had hired and caught me as I tried to run. Apparently, my eyes and sexy legs were too amazing to waste. She decided to sleep with me instead." She canted her head to give her date a mischievous look.

On cue, the other woman's expression turned predatory. "Oh, I think that outfit you were wearing was what really clinched it for me. I'm such a sucker for women covered in blood. Especially when they're kneeling in front of me."

For some reason, the look over Patrick was giving Rain's muscular body was no longer full of lust. When his eyes flickered to Anise he appeared so torn between wanting to laugh it off or wet his trousers. Anise helpfully smiled at him and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you know what a Heckler and Koch MP5K is?"

"Um. No?"

"Neither did I until I had one pointed at me. It's really fucking huge when it's inches from your face." She glanced over at the panther posing as her date before turning back and whispering conspiratorially. "Don't piss my girlfriend off. She'll introduce you to Victoria the Gun."

"That's good to know." The intimidated man squeaked out. He coughed. "Uh. Your meals will be out shortly." He backed up a foot before he obviously struggled to restrain himself from running away.

Watching the man's hasty retreat broke the expression on her face, Anise let her giggles escape.

Rain leaned forward intently, pointing at Anise. "How the hell did you know what kind of gun I was using? Thought you didn't know shit about them."

Anise downed another mussel and took a drink of her wine. "I don't really." She shrugged. "I just remember every detail about that monster you carried down there. Buck helped me look it up. He'll be thrilled to know we got it right."

Sighing, the soldier eyed her girlfriend. "That's something else to fix about your combat training."

"What?"

"Learning about firearms."

"Ah, come on. Switch off safety, point, shoot, things die. That's all I really need to know."

Rain was aghast at that kind of talk. "There are so many things wrong with that statement I don't even know where to begin."

"Seriously? Does it really matter if I know the brand name and model of a gun that gets pointed at me?"

"Yes."

Anise glared at the stubborn woman who met her gaze mulishly, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Range, ammo capacity, durability, precision, weight, there is so much that can affect how you react to a gun pointed at you. Not to mention when you go buy a weapon. You gotta know what you're looking for so you get what you need."

"But I don't plan on buying any guns. If I need one, I'll send Buck to get me something."

"No. You're gonna get properly educated."

"You're leaving in a few hours, hon. Long distance threats won't work on me."

"Maybe not you, but I'm pretty sure they will on Buck."

Flopping back in her chair, Anise groaned pitiably. "Don't do this to me."

"You're gonna learn to properly identify multiple types of firearms, their pros and cons, and learn how to use them. This shit's important. Gonna save your life some day."

Patrick had returned in time to catch Rain's demands about education. His already pale face blanched completely, and his voice wavered with fear. "Your meals, ladies." Setting out their entrees he bravely offered to refill their wine glasses.

For whatever twisted reason, Rain decided to take pity on the server and not her girlfriend. Smiling sweetly at the man she spoke. "Hey, Pat. Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm a private detective, not gonna shoot you. Met my girl here while I was working a case. We were just getting you back for staring at my tits. No hard feelings, k?"

Visibly relaxing, he smiled uneasily. "Yea. Lesson learned." He coughed and gestured at Rain's dish. "Let me know if your steak is perfect and then I'll leave you to your meal."

Cutting into the thick slice of beef, the soldier took a bite. "It's good." She moaned around the hot food.

"Alright. Enjoy."

"I hate you a little right now." Anise complained after Patrick left.

"Not gonna unbutton your sweater, huh?"

"Fuck no." And she stoutly refused to look up as she started in on her pasta dish. From her peripheral vision she could see Rain purse her lips.

"But..."

"No."

Silence settled between them. Anise grumbled in her thoughts about having to learn such trivial information. She had Buck as her walking gun and everything explosive encyclopedia. When she needed to put down zombies again she'd pick up a fucking ax and do it! Pretty sure she did a damn good job in the Hive. Although, she had to admit, if she'd known how to disarm Spence or had a big ass gun against the Licker or could have acted as a sniper instead of Nate... Dammit.

Still not looking at Rain, she popped open the small buttons from her collar to the top of her bra. The model at the mall had worn the sweater that way anyway, she justified. Glancing down to lay the fabric for better display, she knew it looked pretty darn good and was more appropriate for the hot date too. Her breasts were nothing to sneeze at, enhanced nicely by the Chanel sweater. Her silver and sapphire necklace flashed in the restaurant light, drawing attention. She heard Rain choke on a bite of steak as Anise folded her arms under her breasts and leaned against the table. Finally, she allowed her eyes to drift up again.

Absolutely riveted. That perfectly described the wide-eyed, open mouthed look that Rain was sporting. Satisfied with the reaction, Anise let her smile return. So, her wild girlfriend really did enjoy looking at her scientist's body. A little flexing of her pectoral muscles caused another delightful reaction in Rain. Keeping her laughter inside for the moment, Anise picked up her glass of wine for a drink. She leaned back, waiting and watching to see how long it took her date to recover. Quite a while, actually. At least twenty seconds. Patrick was passing by with another table's food. Amazingly, he managed not to drop anything when he stumbled. Rain's eyes flickered over to him, breaking the spell.

Husky and confused, Rain's lust laden voice returned. "Thought you didn't..."

"Admitting to being wrong was so worth getting to watch you drool over my boobs. You might want to use your napkin." When Rain wiped her hand across her lips and realized that she had indeed drooled a little, Anise could not contain her laughter anymore. Her vocalized joy rang through the steakhouse, drawing quite a lot of attention.

The dark blush traveling up Rain's body was just a bonus.


	11. One Last Time

A/N - Welcome back!

Thanks for all the new favorites and alerts! I appreciate all of your thoughts and insights, they truly make a difference in the quality of writing that I can give you.

I'm so glad everyone seemed to really enjoy Estella. Not gonna lie, I would enjoy her too... hehehe

* * *

Chapter 11

One Last Time

Returning to the room was just what Anise wanted to do. Really. She just wished the room did not have so many people in it. It made the prospect of stripping and jumping her gorgeous date, falling into the bed, and exploring every inch of Rain's flushed olive skin not quite so awesome an idea. Anise was beginning to wonder if the universe had it out for her personally. Was it truly such a difficult request to give her enough privacy for one night with a beautiful woman before the T-virus screwed everything up?

At least she was not alone in her misery. Said beautiful woman, whose arm was snugly wrapped around her waist with her hand possessively grabbing her hip, was going without sex as well. The elevator traveled at its usual pace, stifling Anise in its close confines. Grimacing, she swore that the group's leaving to fetch Alice had only one good point. No more elevators in her immediate future. Every freaking time she stepped inside one she heard echoes of distant screams and crashing steel. She clenched her jaw trying to ignore the resurfacing memories. Rain leaned into her slightly, her rich voice blew warm air across her jaw. Her breath carried the scent of the rich wine from dinner. "What is it?"

"Memories. Just before I met you."

"The Hive?"

"In the 'dining hall', I could hear them screaming as they died."

Placing a light kiss to Anise's cheek, Rain rubbed her hand consolingly across the sweater covered back. "What brought em up?"

"Elevator. AI crashed em with people inside. Last thing I heard before your team showed up."

DING. The 16th floor had several people waiting to go up. "Want to climb the stairs?"  
"Yea."

Rain caught the door before it closed. Together they strode down the hall toward the stairwell. With a sudden giggle, Anise announced she could beat Rain to their floor and pelted down the hallway. Nine floors up, the door to the stairs shut behind a panting Anise. Rain was already in the hallway, waiting with an air of boredom that her twinkling eyes ruined with their silent laughter. "Took you long enough."

Instead of being irritated, Anise just giggled. "Sorry, I stopped for ice cream along the way."

"You didn't get me any?"

"Nope."

"Bitch." Grinning, the beautiful Latina held out her hand. When Anise laced their fingers together, Rain bumped their hips gently. "I like you."

That got Anise giggling again. "That's good, since you're stuck with me and all." Holding hands and smiling like idiots, they continued down the hall.

They passed the elevator just as it opened for other travelers to exit. A few of them looked at the couple strangely. "Didn't you two get off the elevator downstairs?"

"Yep." Anise caught Rain smirking at the dumbfounded people.

"But we only stopped twice on the way up here. How did you beat us?" A mustached man asked.

The women exchanged looks. Anise answered simply. "We ran."

"In those heels?" "You aren't even winded!" The travelers exclaimed at the same time.

Anise glanced down at the dainty heels Rain was wearing. Looking back up she stuck out her tongue. "I still hate you a little."

"Come on, loser." Rain chuckled and tugged on Anise's arm. "I wanna change into something else."

Letting herself be pulled along the scientist protested verbally. "But, _Estella_, I like what you're wearing."

"I like the way you say my name," was Rain's husky reply.

The other travelers had also continued on their way. Enough distance was between them for Anise to drop the ruse. "Really, Rain?"

"Not Rain."

"No one's around..."

Rain stopped them both and looked her scientist in the eye. "My given name is Estella. Rain is a nickname I've had since I was 12."

"You... Really?"

"Yea."

"Do the others know?"  
"No. Just you, Picantecita." Her voice was low and soft, full of amused affection.

"Wow." Thinking out loud, she tilted her head. "Another secret?"

"Not really. I like hearing you say it. You can keep calling me Estella around the others if you want. Someone else tries, I'll kick their ass."

"Estella." Anise rolled the name off her tongue, tasting it again. She dropped her voice lower, "Estella."

Her girlfriend reacted well to it. Rain's eyes grew darker and she licked her lips.

"Your name is awesome. I like it."

"The things I never thought I'd be doing, they all seem to happen with you." Rain startled Anise with her proclamation.

"Yea?"

"I've never let anyone except family call me Estella." Rain's admission sent a flair of warmth and pride through Anise's body.

"How old are you?" Anise blurted out.

For a second she thought Rain would not answer the sudden question, but she just grinned. "23."

"I'm older than you?"

"Why's it such a surprise?"

"Because, you... cause... You're so... I don't know. I just assumed you were older."

"It's cause I kick ass with a gun, huh?"

Thinking on it, Anise agreed. Remembering the petite woman carrying and expertly using the deadly weapons definitely made her seem older, more experienced. "Probably."

Rain stole a kiss. Then she tugged on Anise again, heading toward the suite.

"Wait. I forgot to tell you, the team says you've got the enzyme in you, so probably you got a new gland, but you..." Her sudden statement caused Rain to trip, barely catching herself to turn and regard Anise warily. "You're all Estella. No additional ingredients." Anise's eyes sparkled merrily. "They're positive you weren't tampered with by Umbrella. Just me."

Studying Rain's expression, Anise could see the strong woman was teetering between laughing and crying. She would always prefer a laughing Rain, so she playfully put a hand to Rain's dress and let out her mischievous side. "If you'd like me to, Estella, I could examine you to be sure." Her hand started to draw the skirt aside to expose a tempting amount of Rain's thigh. Anise waggled her eyebrows as her knuckles dragged across the inviting flesh.

"Anise." Rain admonished and swatted the playful hand away, chuckling. Relief played very obviously across her olive features. "Come on, let's get inside." Her key hovered by the lock as she looked over her shoulder. "Thanks for telling me."

Anise responded with a soft smile that had Rain kissing her again. Once inside, they were accosted by one small girl with a camera who insisted on taking pictures. The hubbub had Anise feeling like she was going to Prom again. They posed for the camera at Angie's demands, laughing together. At one point, Rain slipped her arms around Anise and hauled her up so she was carrying her bridal style. "Tu eres mi princesa." She lightly whispered in her ear.

With lots of hand flailing and eye rolling, Jill made gagging noises. "Come on. Rain doing cute is wrong on so many levels!"

"Fuck off, cheerleader." Anise snarled.

Caught off guard by the sniped comment, Jill's mouth snapped shut. Rain smiled viciously, "I knew there was a reason I liked you." Still carrying Anise, she moved them to the bedroom. "After I change, you can help me pack."

"Sure." Anise responded as Rain went to place her on the bed. She refused to let go however, and they both toppled into the soft mattress. Giggling, Anise poked at Rain's side. "You ticklish?"

The woman jerked back so Anise poked again. Flesh rippled under her hand and Rain squeaked.

"Did you just? You did!" She tried to continue tickling, but Rain grabbed her hand first.

"Don't do that." Rain pleaded.

Anise tried with her other hand and met with the same fate. Both hands were now trapped in Rain's stronger grip. "This is familiar," she grumbled.

"Will you behave?"

"That's asking a lot, Estella." She was really enjoying getting to call Rain that. Estella was so much more sensuous than simple Rain.

"Please?" Rain pouted cutely, knowing full well her scientist would succumb easily.

"Oh, alright."

The smug look returned to Rain's face, making Anise roll her eyes. Letting go, Rain sat up from the bed to retrieve a more comfortable outfit. She cast a sideways glance at Anise. "Unzip me?"

Already tempted to misbehave. Anise sighed and got off the bed. True to her word, she merely unhooked the catch and unzipped the dress. As fast as possible, she stuffed her hands into her pockets to keep from caressing the freshly exposed olive skin of Rain's back. She shuddered and stumbled away from the heat pouring off Rain's body. "Not fair."

Goosebumps appeared across that alluring skin. Rain whispered as she made her way to the adjoining bathroom to change. "I promise it's worth the wait."

Anise flopped backwards onto the mattress, throwing an arm across her face. The Powers That Be hated her, she was sure of it. Some divine creature had it out for her, the universe couldn't possibly be this cruel by itself. A few minutes later, the soldier returned wearing Cubs branded sweatpants and shirt. Anise missed the dress, although she admitted that the casual outfit made it easier to keep her head out of the gutter. Rain began taking off the jewelry and packing it away.

Hearing someone padding to the door, Anise alerted her companion. She waited until Buck knocked before getting up to open the door. "Hey, buddy."

"Hey." The teen exchanged a friendly nod with Rain and made himself comfortable on the bed with Anise. "How was your date?"

"Best date ever. She says I can call her pretty if I want to."

Buck's eyes grew wide. "For serious?"

"Only because she's delicate." Responded Rain as she opened the closet and bent over to fumble with something on the floor.

Eyes trained on her favorite butt, Anise was oblivious to Buck's silent laughter. The soldier stood up with a large duffel bag that she set on the bed. Under its incredible weight, the mattress shifted. "What the hell is in that?"

"We're starting your education while I do an inventory." Rain unzipped the bag to reveal a dizzying amount of weapons and ammunition.

Buck immediately dove in and grabbed a large weapon. It looked heavy. A rifle? Anise thought. "Ooo," he drooled. "A Ruger SR-556?"

"Yea, kid."

"Oh, no." Anise could feel the lecture about to spill from the teen's lips.

Patting her knee, Rain smiled sympathetically. "Get used to it, Picantecita."

The promised lecture that followed made Anise's head spin. When Rain quizzed her afterward, she wanted to cry. She learned about every weapon that Rain had in her stupidly huge collection and was put to work filling magazines. Her thumbs began to ache from the foreign workout and her brain was throbbing from all of the information. The soldier insisted that Anise pick up, hold, and practice with loading and ejecting clips on every gun. Then Rain insisted that they both choose handguns to keep. Buck happily snatched one for himself in seconds and sat back to watch his older friend agonize over her choice.

Silently, because she refused to give her companions the satisfaction, she acknowledged that just having handled the weapons, she had a new appreciation for them. She began to see how knowing how many rounds a gun could hold would be important. Whether it was her weapon, an enemy's who was shooting at her, or an ally's that would soon need a fresh magazine. Other aspects of the impromptu class started to make sense as well. She stubbornly kept all of those observations to herself, no sense giving Buck something to needle her with later. Her choice of a handgun was lightweight, durable, quick firing, and simple to maintain. Ruger SR-22, she shrugged at the model, the thing felt comfortable in her hand. Creepy.

Rain made sure she had an extra clip and gave her orders to stock up on more. With Buck's eager nod, Anise knew there was a shopping trip being planned. To cut off the impending purchasing lecture, she spoke up quickly. "Estella, did I tell you about the secret facility the Keepers are prepping?"  
"No." Rain looked up from the ammo box she was inspecting, surprised.

"It's supposed to be a safe haven. Designed to house hundreds of people. Gonna go there when the T-virus infection explodes."

"Where is it?"

"The northern Rocky Mountains." Anise frowned. "Doc Brandon refuses to tell us an exact location. Talks crap about how if any of us were captured by Umbrella, the corporation would raid the facility just to spite us."

Rain was nodding. "She's right."

"You're not supposed to agree with the old bat."

"Too bad. The old bat is right." Primly, Rain replied.

A dreadful thought occurred to Anise. "Rain, if you guys don't come back to Chicago before that happens..." Unable to continue, she trailed off.

"Please, you two would find each other." At their stunned expressions, Buck expanded. "What were the odds of meeting in Chicago after Raccoon City? You two are like a freakin fairy tale. Happily ever after and all that."

It was Rain that was laughing first. She gasped out, "Mi princesa!" Anise did not need that to be translated and huffed, adding fuel to Rain's laughter. Buck sat back grinning like a loon. Rain bent over, guffawing at her own joke and Buck's chuckle grew to match.

Muttering under her breath, Anise got up. "Gonna hang out with the cheerleader. Better than you two." The laughter followed her from the room, even when she shut the door. At the table, Carlos looked up from a large paper map. She moved to join him and caught the map's location. Detroit, MI. A pencil in hand, the man was outlining routes, places to hide, and making notes on the edges. "How did you get a map of Detroit so fast?"

"Kinko's."

"Oh." Sitting down, the gun poked her in the back from its hiding place. Rain had insisted, again, that she get used to the feel of it. Petulantly, Anise whipped it out and slammed it on the table. Carlos flinched. "Sorry." She rubbed at her temples.

His intelligent eyes jumped from gun to Anise to the closed bedroom door. "Wanna explain?"

"Rain thinks I need better education."

Another glance at the weapon had Carlos nodding. "Of course she does, she cares about you."

Anise grunted.

"You're just upset because we're leaving." His faint smile irritated Anise even more.

"Well, duh."

A hand smacked Anise on the back of the head. She whipped around in her seat, scowling. Jill plopped into the chair beside her, a matching scowl on her face. "Don't be such a brat. You're too lucky to get this time with Rain. I never got to say goodbye to anyone." The small woman folded her arms across her ample chest and stared Anise down. For the first time, Anise could see a softness in Jill, the fear and heartache that lay just beneath the surface.

Feeling her expression falter, Anise covered it with a sharp retort. "Whatever, cheerleader." Her voice lacked any venom and Anise knew it sounded wimpy and pathetic. It wasn't the vicious rejoinder that she had meant to spit out.

Jill angrily punched her in the arm this time. "I was never a cheerleader! I was in band, played the clarinet, dammit. Joined the police academy right after I graduated. Top of my class, youngest ever to to get into S.T.A.R.S.!"

Anise rubbed the soon to be bruise. "That actually hurt." She paused. "Cheerleader."

"You're insufferable. I don't get what Rain sees in you." The woman growled, but remained in her seat.

"She likes the way I smell."

Grimacing, Jill asked, "Why are you two waiting?"

"What?"

Jill glanced over at Angie who was clicking on the laptop. "Sex, you idiot." She whispered.

"Oh. Rain's a closet romantic. Wants it to be special." Anise murmured.

Carlos and Jill both dropped their jaws. Their eyes bugged out.

"I know. That was my reaction."

"This is good. The roadtrip out there is going to be fun." Carlos chuckled.

Anise favored him with a pleading look. "Please, torture her some for me too."

"What're ya'll talkin bout?" LJ had wandered over to the table. He leaned over the map of Detroit.

"Rain's got a romantic streak she failed to tell us about." Carlos responded.

LJ's eyes darted up to look at Anise. "Fo real?"

The frustrated woman nodded.

"Ain't that rich."

"Any other time I'd appreciate it a lot more, but..."

"But getting laid would be really awesome." Jill concluded.

Once again, Anise found herself seeing more to the bitchy woman. She didn't want to start liking Jill just before she left. The woman would be just another person leaving Anise behind. And the chances that she might die while rescuing Alice from Umbrella were stacked against her. "Cheerleader, you scare me." She forced nastiness into her voice, trying to be mean again.

"Finally, a little respect." The side of Jill's face looked like it might be smiling.

Anise glowered at the petite woman before dropping her forehead to the table. She was not allowed to start being friendly _now_. From the bedroom came the sound of Buck and Rain's loud argument about the worst handguns ever produced. Shaking her head, her frown deepened. She glared at her pistol hoping that maybe it would get the hint and melt into a puddle on table. Her Ruger ignored her and remained sitting there fully intact.

"LJ, grab Rain would you? We need to finish ironing out our plans for Detroit."

During the next conversation, Anise's depression continued. She could follow the discussion about exit strategies, fake identities, and when or if guns would be needed. Too bad she had nothing helpful to add to it. At some point, Jill furiously told her to take her dark mood somewhere else. When Anise stayed in her seat, Jill punched her again, suggesting the hotel gym for her grumpy ass. A dark glare later, Anise quietly agreed and got up to change into clothes she had brought for exactly that. She borrowed a keycard on her way out. Buck stayed behind, since his presence was actually useful.

* * *

Two hours later, Anise was still in the well appointed hotel gym. Its spaciousness and excellent amount of quality equipment was amazing. Several dozen people could easily exercise together in such a place. She had unintentionally gained the attention and admiration of the other gym-goers. First, she had spent an entire hour running. When she had gotten bored of that, she moved on to the free weights and kept pace with the muscular man beside her. Anise might not be as strong as Rain, but that did not mean she wasn't a fine female specimen. There was a lot of muscle required for the stunt she pulled back in the Hive tunnels. She doubted many others could have hauled Rain's dead weight up like that.

In the wall mirrors she watched her healthy body flex and sweat under her exertions. She noticed that her own eyes were not the only ones following the practiced movements. The tall, broad shouldered man beside her, curling heavy barbells, winked at her reflection. Unconsciously, she smiled. That seemed to be enough for him to strike up a pleasant conversation with her. Their banter was easy and she enjoyed it even though she knew he was flirting, hoping to get her room number. He offered to spot her when she moved to the bench press. Ben, so he had called himself, unabashedly stared down at her chest. Easily benching her body weight, Anise ignored his wolfish intentions. Still, she vaguely fantasized that Rain would appear any moment and send the man packing.

No such luck though. Anise changed tactics, challenging Ben to a contest. She would have rather abused a punching bag. It was sad the gym did not have one. There were two pull up bars next to each other she pointed out. The enhanced woman bet she could do more hanging leg raises than he could. A stupid challenge, she admitted, yet it was something to do. Chuckling, Ben agreed and said the loser had to howl like a monkey. Now, it sounded like a good challenge. Anise grinned eagerly.

A pair of flirty, attractive blonde college girls helpfully offered to track each of their counts for fairness. After 33, Anise's abs told her she had worked out quite a bit the past two hours. Ben looked flushed and kept moving. At 44, she was struggling to continue, so was Ben. 47 leg raises and Ben practically fell from the bar. Just because, Anise suffered three more for an even number. Ben graciously stooped, yowled, and flailed his arms around. Laughing hurt so bad, Anise clutched her complaining stomach.

After recovering and chugging down water, Ben worked up the nerve to invite her to bed with him. The two blondes gave Anise death glares until she politely informed him that the only person she shared a bed with was her girlfriend. The poor guy was crestfallen until the blondes swooped in and invited him back to their room. Anise giggled at the guy's dumbstruck expression. She sat down to stretch, watching the trio gather their things and rush out.

With muscles pleasantly sore after her cooldown exercises, Anise dropped back on the mat to stare at the ceiling. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a silent news broadcast on one of the giant TVs. She rolled over to properly watch it. It was a breaking news story on 'riots'in Kansas City, Missouri_._ Some brave soul had taken a camera down to get closeups. Blood, horror, and impossible images flitted across the screen. A half-eaten child with her intestines trailing along the road appeared onscreen, moving toward the shaking camera. The lens suddenly dropped to the pavement and red droplets painted the screen. Poor bastard, Anise thought. Beside her, a woman fell from her yoga pose, gasping in shock.

Anise offered the advice to call whoever she loved and do it now, while she still could. The slim woman whimpered at the serious tone and glanced back at the TV where news anchors were discussing the revolting footage. Abruptly, she pulled a cell phone from her pocket. Putting it to her ear, she bit at her nails while watching the continued broadcast. As the words 'daddy' left the woman's mouth, Anise bit her lip took keep from crying out at the overwhelming rush of jealousy and homesickness. She swallowed back tears and fled the gym, taking the 20 flights of stairs instead of the awful elevators. Floor 25, written in huge block letters, loomed before her, she could not open the door. Her hands shook, lips quivered, and the tears escaped from her swollen eyes. Anise backed into a cool concrete wall, slid to the landing floor, and sobbed into her hands.

* * *

A/N - The next chapter may take a tad bit longer for me to finish. What I have so far, I'm not happy with at all. Chapter 13-15 are coming along nicely and so is 20... lol but chapter 12 is currently the bane of my existence. Please be patient with me.

For those of you who don't know and want something more to read: I've posted a side piece to SaAWP that centers on Rain's view of the happenings in the Hive. "What Floats Rain's Boat" is what you should look for. Enjoy!

Hopefully the little side-shots I seem to be producing will keep you occupied until 12 comes together :) If not, there's some other really great works popping up in the RE section... those other authors are awesome!


	12. Cuddling With a Mutant

A/N - Phew! Finally, I got this silly chapter worked out. Huge thanks go out to LouiseWolff, LostResidentEvilPotter, and Air and Water for their very helpful insights. And for putting up with my questions ;)

This and chapter 13 were originally one, but it needed to be split up and heavily edited. Thinking back, I could probably combine 12 & 11, although that would be a VERY long chapter... I think we'll stick with this format.

Happy Independence Day, Americans! Try not to burn down anyone's house or local forest with your personal fireworks, OK? It's already too f*n hot. Thanks...

And back to our regularly scheduled lesbian drama.

* * *

Chapter 12

Cuddling With a Mutant

Rain found Anise in the stairwell. Her tears were dry tracks upon her motionless face. She was simply sitting there, with her sweat damp hair and body cold to the touch. Anise had her pale arms wrapped around herself and her knees drawn up to her chest. Unable to respond to Rain's tender touch, she curled herself up tighter. Rain picked up the shattered woman and carried her to the suite where she settled them on the couch. She wrapped Anise in a blanket and held her close.

A while passed like that. Rain whispered comforting words into her scientist's ear until Anise came out of her stupor. She held Rain's terrified gaze as she reassured her that she would talk about it later. Then she insisted on taking a warm shower to clean off the hours of sweat she had accumulated. Once again, she borrowed clothes, her own left in their bag. Rain's clothes were comforting and the sweater she pulled on smelled pleasantly of the petite woman.

Her Estella had ordered them room service. It was a light meal and wine. The others were winding down for sleep. Everyone, even Jill, was concerned about Anise, asking after her health, why she was so quiet. No one got anything besides a silent shake of her head. After the meal, with Anise curled up in her lap, Rain worriedly prodded for an explanation.

Voice hoarse and wavering, Anise finally opened up, spilling her inner nightmare. "On TV, they showed zombie _riots_ in Kansas City. The Power and Light District was covered in blood. A cameraman got his ass eaten on live TV." She paused for a shuddering breath. "My parents and my Uncle live in KC," she whimpered. "I grew up there."

"Oh. Mi cielo." Rain whispered and pulled the crying woman tightly to her chest. Gently stroking her back, she mumbled in Spanish. Anise responded to the affection in her tone by pressing further into Rain's strong body. Closing her eyes let her ignore the pitying, sympathetic looks from the others.

* * *

They packed Rain's remaining clothes and gear, then spooned on the rollaway to sleep. Around three, they woke up. Softly, Anise suggested the gym again, remembering that Rain liked to spend time there while the others slept. Rain tried to argue. Anise, however, was already putting on her gym shoes. Without waiting, she headed to the door and down the stairs. Rain followed her moments later, running to catch up.

Back in the luxury gym, Anise walked on the treadmill. Quietly, she observed Rain's fluid movements, studying the woman and willing time to slow down. She wanted to stay in that moment. Too many things could go wrong rescuing Alice, and Rain getting caught or worse, was a horribly possible outcome. It was bad enough she could not contact her family, losing Rain would devastate her. At one point, Rain was so desperate to have Anise smile that she showed off by lifting 500 pounds over her head and gently setting the weights back on the floor. Sweat dripped down her back, and her face was flushed from exertion. She lifted nervous eyes to see Anise's reaction.

Holy crap. Anise knew that Rain was strong, but... Wow. Seeing the petite woman lift the equivalent of a mature grizzly bear over head really drove it home. Her wide eyes met Rain's, and Anise couldn't help the lecherous smile that graced her lips. Rain, in the bedroom, would be a LOT of fun. The answering twitch of Rain's lips and darkening irises confirmed she shared those thoughts.

Their moment was broken when the mustached man, taking a break from squats a few feet away, gaped, and pointed. "That's, that's just not possible!"

Anise gazed indolently at the incredulous man, while Rain crooked an eyebrow. Neither responded.

His mouth fished for a few more seconds. "You two were the ones that beat the elevator."

The enhanced women exchanged a look. Both moved to leave.

"Who the hell are you people?"

"Mutants." Anise's quirky humor made an appearance. "Meet the granddaughter of Stan Lee's inspiration. The man didn't come up with it on his own."

They left the incredulous man sputtering and climbed the stairs back to the suite. Rain took a shower while Anise changed back into the comfy clothes she had worn earlier. Being more than a few feet away from her Estella was too painful, so she entered the oversized bathroom quietly. She settled herself on the cool tile floor, and began stretching her tired muscles.

"Hey." The soldier greeted her from behind the curtain. "Trying to sneak a peek?"

"That too." Anise responded heavily, her voice low and thick.

"What else?"

She sighed. "Didn't want to sit alone."

With a sudden scrape of the metal hangers on the curtain rod, Rain's head poked out from the shower. Their eyes met. Worried chocolate stared into tumultuous hazel until soap ran into Rain's eyes, making her blink furiously and curse like a sailor. That brought a small grin to Anise's face. "Finish your shower, you idiot." Her soldier wiped the aggravating suds off and looked back.

Rain's eyes traveled over Anise once more, took in the slight uplift of her lips, and nodded. "I'll hurry."

Shortly after, Rain finished with her shower and dried off behind the curtain. "Picantecita?" Rain moved the barrier aside. Anise lifted her red-rimmed eyes from the tiled floor. Raven hair clung to Rain's face and water droplets chased each other down her neck and collarbone. The chase ended at the edge of the hotel towel where they were absorbed. Eyes jealous of the water droplets traveled back up the expanse of flesh. The Latina's damp features held a tender expression of compassion and affection. "Hand me my clothes?"

"Sure." Anise got up to retrieve Rain's clothes from the little dressing table. Before she handed them over, she tried to get Rain naked one more time. "You could just drop the towel."

"I'll be back in Chicago in a fucking week. You can wait." Rolling her eyes, the woman snatched her outfit. The curtain twitched back, hiding the damp Latina from view.

Anise pouted. "Spoilsport."

Rain chuckled at her petulant tone. The towel appeared over the curtain rod and Anise could hear the woman shuffling with her clothing. Leaning against the wall, she imagined much better scenarios, where clothing and people didn't interfere with her 'have sex with Rain' plan. The annoying barrier moved once move, revealing a clothed Rain, who stood on her toes and kissed Anise's cheek. "Give me another sec and we can go cuddle or some shit."

"Cuddle?" Her tone was incredulous. Had Rain actually offered to do something so girly?

Deferring the question with a grunt, Rain rummaged in a small bag on the dressing table. She pulled out a stick of deodorant and turned her back to Anise.

"Seriously?" Anise's voice traveled up an octave, trying to get a rise out of her girlfriend.

"Will you keep it down? If you wake up Jill, I have to deal with her bitchiness on a long ass roadtrip." Another item appeared in her small hand. Anise silently crossed the room, and she swiped the product before Rain noticed she was there.

While Rain growled, she read the label. "Unscented, organic facial moisturizer. Boring."

Rain's frown deepened. "Anise." She held her hand out, palm up.

Blatantly ignoring the demand for the moisturizer back, Anise opened the cap and squeezed some onto her finger tip. She brought it to her nose and hesitantly sniffed. "Smells kinda like olive oil."

"A little. It's the least offensive one I've found." Rain dropped her hand, realizing she was not getting her lotion back.

"Do my products irritate your nose?" Honestly curious, Anise watched Rain's expression closely.

"Not really. The first day they did." The Latina held up a hand to stop Anise's apology. "I noticed that you haven't worn perfume or hair spray since. No one else caught on that fast."

Anise felt herself blush at the sincere appreciation in Rain's voice. She looked back down at the moisturizer. After squeezing a smidge more from the tube, she dropped the plastic container into the bag it came from. Bringing her playful hands up to Rain's face, she began rubbing the product into the silky olive skin. Her fingers traveled up the flushed cheekbones and down along the defined jaw. They met at Rain's chin and traced around her pursed lips. The Latina's eyes closed, relaxing into Anise's touch. Unable to resist, the taller woman leaned down and licked the soft, pink lips of her girlfriend. A second later, her fingers returned to the task of caressing with a purpose. "You have beautiful skin, Estella."

Rain hummed deep in her throat, a rich, melancholy, yet almost happy noise. Her eyelids moved and revealed her warm brown irises. "I wish I'd met you before the Hive, so I could've taken you home. My family would like you."

Pale fingers stalled their journey as Anise stared at Rain. Her mind was stumbling to catch up with the last admission. Rain thought that she was the kind of girl to take home? Holy shit. That, that was _huge_. "Meet your family?" She squeaked.

"Yea," was Rain's simple response.

"Oh. Wow." Anise couldn't form any further words. Instead, she went back to quietly rubbing the remaining lotion into beautiful skin. Her girlfriend's eyes fluttered shut again.

* * *

Back in the living area, Rain flipped the TV on to the History Channel. The women munched on cashews and fruit, relaxing on a couch. Anise took the unique opportunity to fiddle with Rain's hair while it was down. The silk-like curls fascinated Anise to no end. Eventually, her hands itched to touch Rain's skin again. She began to massage the soldier's bare neck and moved out to rub her t-shirt covered shoulders and back. When Rain's hum of approval changed to a moan of pleasure, the Latina abruptly twisted around and caught hold of two pale wrists.

"Dammit, Anise."

"I was just massaging." Anise defended herself. For once, her actions had actually been innocent. "It's not my fault you got all hot and bothered." She shrugged.

Rain seemed about to say something. Instead, her eyes drifted down slightly and she leaned forward to press their lips together tenderly. She pulled back with Anise's wrists still ensnared by her capable hands. Rain wrapped those pale arms around her own waist and tugged both of their bodies back down on the couch. Neither spoke after that. They did not need to.

The women cuddled and watched the TV, although Anise had no idea what was playing, being too caught up with having Rain in her arms. Never had she thought that her feisty soldier would allow herself to be the one inside the spoon. She had never imagined Rain in a dress and heels or having such a girly name like Estella either. Anise smiled the smile of a woman thoroughly perplexed and enjoying every moment of it. Closing her eyes and relaxing, she enjoyed the unique position that Rain had put her in.

* * *

When Angie woke up, she hurriedly shoved a stuffed envelope with the printed pictures into Anise's hands. "Jill took me to Kinko's because her printer broke. I hope you like them."

Shoving aside the insane fear the girl's image summoned, Anise knelt down to pull the girl into a tight hug. "Thanks, Angie. These mean a lot to me."

It was decided that Buck and Anise should not be seen with the entire group. The couple's little escapades had been hazardous enough to their anonymity. No one wanted to take anymore unnecessary risks. They said their goodbyes in the suite. Buck and Anise hugged everyone, including the bitchy cheerleader, whose eyes were suspiciously red-rimmed. Rain took the elevator down with the pseudo siblings so she could walk them to the local coffee shop. Buck scooped up the petite Latina into a crushing bear hug. While suspended two feet from the ground, Rain snatched Buck's hat off and ruffled his 'Bieber' hair.

"You better take good care of my girlfriend. She's kinda delicate."

"Yea. Will do." He meekly replied, unable to joke back. Anise sighed to herself, she had forgotten that Buck would be depressed about leaving Rain and the others too. She felt like a bad friend, having been too wrapped up in her own depression to notice his.

"Good. Now put me down, you fucking giant." Rain finally got their young friend to laugh. Back on the ground, she smirked up at the oversized teen. "I'll see you later, Buck."

After catching his cap that Rain threw at him, Buck grinned, and stepped away to flag down a cab.

Anise and Rain shared their last embrace for a very long time.

"Hurry up and come back to me, you stubborn bitch." Goodbye was just not something Anise could say. "Without the beard." She muttered into the itchy beard kiss.

Rain looked up into Anise's damp eyes. "Picantecita, say my name again."

"Estella."

Pink lips twitched, almost smiling.

"My Estella. My pretty soldier." Anise pulled her hands away and shoved them in her coat pockets. Forcefully, she stepped back. "Go rescue that damsel in distress." Shuddering, Anise flung herself into the cab and yanked the door shut before she lost her nerve to let Rain go. She chewed on her cheek as she stared out the window, her eyes locked on Rain's until she faded from view. Every fucking day, Umbrella gave her another reason to hate the arrogant company.


	13. The Rebel Leader

A/N - Did you know that yesterday was Michelle Rodriguez's birthday? I didn't either until the Facebook update lol Happy Bday to Ms. Hotty-pants, may she continue to live a long and healthy life ... and make lots more movies for us to drool over!**  
**

anyhow... Enjoy the latest chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

_**The Rebel Leader**_

Still many blocks from Keeper Labs, Anise demanded that the cab driver pull over. She needed out. The fabricated walls of the cab were suffocating her. Before the car stopped moving, the tall woman leapt from the vehicle into a fast walk. Buck shoved a wad of cash into the driver's hand and hurriedly followed Anise out into the brisk morning. His long strides quickly caught him up to the woman he thought of as family. Placing a hand to her arm, he used his greater mass to pull her to a stop. He tilted his body sideways and canted his head to look into her downcast eyes.

"They'll come back." Buck spoke gently, his voice low and soothing.

Anise lifted her face, lined with frozen tears. "What if they don't?"

With a little smile, Buck chuckled. "Have you met Rain? I don't know about you, but I'd be too freaking scared to get between her and whatever she wants. And I might have read all those big, glaring signs wrong, but I think she wants you."

"True." Sniffling, Anise's lips curled up slightly, until her face fell with another thought. "What about my family?" Hearing Buck's breath hitch, she gasped. The teen's eyes had darkened and his jaw had clenched. "Shit. I'm sorry."

"No." Buck shook his head. "It's fine. I understand. Protecting family is everything. It's why I always follow you when you leave the labs."

Anise laughed suddenly and wrapped her dwarfed arm around Buck's. "I know. You're like the annoying little brother I never wanted." She dropped her head to rest it on his shoulder. "I'm so fucking lucky to have you."

The teen stood quietly in the half-hug until he whispered conspiratorially. "We could call them from a payphone. It's not like we couldn't deal with some Umbrella commandos if they tracked us down again."

Anise remained rigidly in her position. Slowly, she lifted her head to look into Buck's gleaming sapphire eyes. In the brilliant morning sun, the color was incredible and intense. It reminded her of Estella's dress. Blue was definitely her favorite color. She opened her mouth to say 'fuck yes', but was rudely interrupted by screeching tires and screaming. A red sports car was swerving across the road. Through the windows, they saw the passenger frantically trying to chew on the driver. The psuedo-siblings exchanged a look. "Want to deal with the zombie or hysterical driver?" Anise offered her companion as the distracted driver veered off toward the crowded sidewalk

Buck pulled out the gun that Rain had given him just last night. "I haven't killed anything in a while." He loaded a round into the chamber and grinned toothily.

"You've been spending too much time with my girlfriend." She laughed.

Rending, twisting metal and shattering glass echoed noisily from down the block. The car had smashed into the side of a building, sending smoke and brick flying. More screams exploded around the area. Dozens of cell-phones appeared in people's hands. Anise wondered how many were actually going to call the police. Most of the idiots would probably be taking pictures and videos of the mess. She shrugged, guessing they would be the latest viral video on the web in a few hours. "Cover your face, buddy." Stealing a scarf from an oblivious, gawking pedestrian, Anise wrapped it around her nose and lips. Buck wrapped his head in a T-shirt from his duffel bag. The enhanced woman resettled her bag and spoke again. "Let's do this shit."

They sprinted across the street and down the sidewalk, dodging cars, looky-loos, and pedestrians. As they approached the car with the screaming woman, the dense crowd slowed them considerably. Anise was forced to shove people out of her way. Buck's gun reported loudly, momentarily silencing the crowd, causing the majority of people to fall to the ground in self-preservation. The duo was able to leap over the remaining people. Anise couldn't get the driver's door open. "It's jammed!" She called out. Buck skidded across the trunk lid and quickly wrenched open the passenger door.

His second shot stilled the zombie's movements and he worked to pull the dead man from the seat. Anise arrived on the other side of the car as Buck dragged the body out. She immediately moved in and grabbed the still screaming woman's face. With her proven command voice, she demanded the middle-aged woman's attention. "Look at me. You're safe now. Close your mouth." The screams stopped when the crying woman shut her trap. Her chin quivered as she focused on Anise. Gesturing at the bleeding wound on a cradled arm, Anise asked. "Do you know what happens when you get bitten?" A frightened sob and nodding head answered her. "If you come with me, quickly and quietly, I can get you the antivirus. Do exactly what I say. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good." Anise thumbed the seat belt catch. Thankfully, it popped open and retracted. She glanced over the interior and grabbed the woman's purse. "Here. Take this. What's your name?"

The woman clutched her purse to her chest. "Rhonda Barnes."

"Well, Rhonda, I'm Anise. Come on. Stay by my side." She backed out of the car and was quickly followed by Rhonda. At least a dozen camera phones flashed them from the mob of people blocking their retreat. "Buck, play bulldozer." The oversized teen laughed and surged forward, effectively clearing a path for the women. Sirens blared in the distance as the trio expertly vanished into the crowd.

A couple of blocks later, Rhonda stumbled tiredly. "Were you bitten anywhere esle?" Worried, Anise quietly asked of the woman leaning on a newspaper stand.

"No. Only the one time by Carl back there."

Relieved that Rhonda wasn't going to be turning cannibal anytime soon, Anise studied the exhausted woman. From under the expensive looking pink trench coat poked torn hose and stylish, heeled boots. The coat was rumpled and the woman's dyed and highlighted hair was falling out from what might have once been a perfectly coiffed bun. Winter pale skin showed fine wrinkles. Dark circles underscored almond shaped eyes surrounded by smeared mascara and clumpy eyeshadow.

"When's the last time you slept?"

Rhonda blinked up at Anise. "Uh." She dug out her phone and checked the glowing face. "Two days ago. I'm a reporter. Carl and I went down to Columbus to film those," she paused and quivered in disgust, "Riots."

"Yea. Riots. More like hordes of Umbrella experiments gone wrong." Muttered Anise bitterly. "Fucking bastards are practically killing people with arrogance."

Rhonda's features sharpened. "You know what's really happening, don't you?"

"Unfortunately." Anise replied, her voice full of hate and rage.

A siren whined loudly as a police cruiser drove down the street. "We need to keep going." Buck nudged his friend.

Anise nodded and took a breath to calm down. "Yea. Rhonda, you good?"

"Is it much farther?"

"Two more blocks."

"I can do that."

The remaining blocks passed without incident. At the gates to the labs, Anise and Buck swept the woman past the protesting security team and into the building. They took the woman up to the living area, where Buck sat with Rhonda on a couch. Scandalized looks from the research team lounging there were completely ignored. Anise went to her bedroom to get her personal first aid kit that, besides the standard medical supplies, also had antivirus in it. She found a good vein on Rhonda's arm and sanitized the area.

"My name is Anise Barrows. I used to work for Umbrella." The injector was prepped and she placed the needle to the pale skin. "Let me tell you about a secret underground R&D lab called the Hive." She offered as she slipped the needle in and squeezed the bright green fluid into Rhonda's bloodstream. Fuck it all, she thought. Hurting and angry, she wanted people to know why they were dying. She wanted to bring Umbrella down any way she could.

Rhonda fumbled with her purse until she brought out writing supplies and a voice recorder. Her clever eyes focused on Anise. "Tell away."

Chuckling darkly, Anise nodded. "Let's get those wounds taken care of and I'll start at the beginning."

* * *

Halfway through telling Rhonda about meeting the resistance, as the woman vigorously scratched down notes in her well-worn notebook, Doc Brandon burst on the scene. "Anise! Stop talking at once. You know how dang-"

"Quiet!" Anise snapped and lifted her steely gaze to the Doctor's astonished face. Her voice dropped to its lowest pitch, smooth and sharp as ice. "I'm going to finish my story. Then, I'm going to answer her questions and afterward, I'll see the lady safely to the broadcast studio. If you try to stop me, I will _not_ return." She stared the older woman down, absolutely ready to hold true to her threat. Anise would much rather help Rain rescue Alice than put up with the Doc's patronizing attitude. There were other ways to save the world that did not involve feeling like a rebellious teenager.

Dr. Brandon turned a lovely shade of purple, but held her tongue and nodded sharply.

"The time has come for the truth to be let out. If Umbrella shows up, I'll kill every last one of them." She promised and a slip of a smile glinted dangerously in her eyes. Fuckers would die painfully too, she silently swore.

Shaking in fury, the old woman responded with a clipped 'fine'. She turned crisply in her black pumps, sending her labcoat fluttering and left the room. Rhonda's eyes had grown round as dinner plates during the short exchange. The fear in them called Anise back from the brink of violence. "Buck, you can finish this part. I'm going to get a case of antivirus." She stood, belatedly realizing her fists had been tightly clenched. With an effort, she uncurled her hands and shook them out. It was only then that she became aware of how almost the entire research team and most of the security personnel had filled the usually spacious living area. Few of them had ever heard the entire story firsthand and apparently everyone wanted to. Anise avoided eye contact as she also exited, too many faces looked at her with a mix of awe and fear.

Twenty long minutes later, Anise returned with the promised antivirus and a better mood. The audience shifted to let her pass by, and she received many impressive smiles. One of the more friendly scientists patted her on the back and told her it was about time someone told Brandon off. Buck had finished his reprisal of the horrific events of Raccoon City and the nuke. Setting the duffel bag down on the floor, Anise grinned mischievously. "Want to know about my favorite mutant?"

"Mutant? Like in the X-men movies?"

Buck guffawed and fell off the couch, holding his stomach as he laughed. Anise giggled too, thinking of a certain incident in the hotel's gym.

* * *

A day later, in the living area, the TV was on. The news was broadcasting a special edition. Information on the spreading infection and the truth about what was happening was finally being spoken. Everyone present huddled around the couch to watch.

Rhonda Barnes sat in the studio, narrating the video she had brought from Columbus. She enlightened her viewers with information that Buck and Anise had taught the woman. The middle aged woman detailed Umbrella's involvement, the T-virus and antivirus that Umbrella wasn't sharing. She spoke of a resistance group bravely led by one Anise Barrows, a former employee that had volunteered her own body to develop a cure. Someone in the room laughed and joked about telling Dr. Brandon who the new boss was. Anise rubbed her neck, hoping that confrontation wouldn't happen. Also in the broadcast was the truth of Raccoon City and the nuke; that the video from the survivors was real footage and how to kill the zombies.

Rhonda continued on, only leaving out the locations of the labs, the women's mutations, and that the labs and herself had a stash of antivirus. All of which, Anise was thankful for. Being mobbed by terrified citizens would be just as dangerous as an Umbrella raid. She also did not want to be the focus of a witch hunt. Fear did funny things to good people.

At the end of the broadcast, Buck slapped her on the shoulder. "Life with you is never going to be dull."

Dr. Brandon had snuck up behind them sometime during the last half hour. The moment Anise noticed her, she scowled. When the outraged old woman attempted to lecture her about the security of the project, Anise bit her cheek, got up, and locked herself in her room. "Fucking bitch." She cursed, abruptly missing her old apartment in Raccoon City. It hadn't been much and had smelled a bit funny, but she had lived _gloriously_ alone. Being under the Doc's constant eye made her feel like an awkward 15 year old again and it rankled deeply. She did _not_ want to relive being a teenager.

Angrily, she turned on heavy rock music and picked up the neglected envelope with the pictures from Angie. Anise settled herself in the armchair by the window. Inside the envelope, she found what she was expecting and so much more. The young girl had some real talent with a camera. It showed in her usage of lighting and angles.

There were several that Anise had no idea were taken, such as one of her and the crew at the dining table. She and Jill were fighting, yet Angie had captured Anise's look of despair and the cheerleader's face twisted unnaturally into a sensitive, compassionate expression. Rain was standing and gesturing with her large combat knife, while the men leaned over the table with various expressions of serious thought. Anise's very visible, discarded gun made it an even more surreal moment. They looked like generals arguing in a war room. That thought was a bit too close to the mark. Hands of ice crept across her skin, prickling it into gooseflesh. Battling zombies was just part of the war against Umbrella.

* * *

The next day, Anise was entering the living room from her morning blood draw. She dropped down next to her teenage sidekick, who was busy getting his ass handed to him by a little kid in China. He really sucked at Mario Kart, especially when he played online multiplayer. After he lost his latest match, he dropped the controller in disgust. Noticing Anise sitting there, idly thumbing through someone's discarded fashion magazine, he suddenly brightened. "Let's go shopping!" Buck tugged on Anise's sleeve. "I'm bored and Rain gave you homework." At her expression of disapproval, he merely grinned smugly and whispered. "And we can find a payphone."

She needed no more incentive, hopping up quickly. "Let me change and get my snow boots."

Less than ten minutes later, they were heading to the exit. One of the security personnel stopped them. The commandos that had been protecting the labs were suited up in gear that reminded Anise of Umbrella a bit too much. She had not gotten to know them, so she vaguely knew one or two names. Their presence was less than reassuring, bringing up too many bad memories. She preferred their old mall-cop uniforms. Stupid spreading zombie infection, she silently grumbled.

"Where are you two going?" The black-garbed man asked, his voice a smooth, deep baritone.

"Excuse me?" Anise balked. Since when did these goons start questioning her daily movements?

"Dr. Brandon doesn't want any unauthorized outings." He returned.

"The Doc can kiss my ass. Who the fuck are you?"

"Lieutenant Bradley Morrison. I'm head of security, Ma'am." His voice remained professional, although Anise detected a hint of disappointment. Whatever, she didn't care what he thought of her.

"Fantastic. Well, Morrison. If you hadn't heard the news, I'm the rebel leader. What I say goes. Now, get out of our way."

It was at that point that the elderly scientist showed up. "Where do you two think you're going?"

This time, it was Buck who made the smart remark. "Shopping. Tell Morrison to let us by." Anise was so proud of her young friend for telling Brandon off that a smiled tried to form on her lips.

Dr. Brandon's eyes widened in consternation at Buck's uncharacteristic rudeness, yet she responded quickly enough. "No. You're not. The infection is spreading astronomically fast now. It's too dangerous to let anyone wander about, especially you two. Mr. Morrison and his team are here to protect us. If you go out there, they can't do their job."

"That's right, ma'am. I'd give my life to protect you." Morrison directed his serious gaze to Anise. His tone was respectful, but she snorted rudely. He probably would give his life, she thought.

Her voice patronizingly sweet, Dr. Brandon grinned at them. "There. You see. Now, off to your rooms with you." She placed a hand on her hip. Her expression was of a woman who clearly thought she had won the argument.

Narrowing her eyes, Anise clenched her jaw tightly. Her lips curled back from her teeth. She had had enough. She didn't give a rat's ass about what the Doc thought or said anymore, and Morrison was preventing her from contacting her family. After having found Rain and abruptly losing her, no matter for how short a time, watching the zombie hordes consume KC, and knowing the end of the world was probably just around the fucking corner, was more than Anise could handle. Something deep inside of her broke. Or maybe it collapsed into a hard, unfeeling lump of iron. Either way, it did not matter. She was leaving the labs. Now.

Casually, she reached into her waistband for the loaded Ruger, flicked off the safety, and pointed it at Morrison's vulnerable head. "Get out of my way or you'll be giving your life a lot sooner than expected."

Three incredibly shocked expressions stared at the tall, usually warm and friendly, woman. Never had Anise seriously threatened another living person's life, especially not for trying to protect her and Buck. Fear did funny things to people, she thought again. And she was terrified of never hearing from her family again.

Morrison, a credit to his standing as head of security, recovered after only a few seconds. His eyes flickered over her weapon, aimed steadily at his forehead with a finger curled on the trigger, and studied Anise's stony expression. He stepped aside, his assault rifle still hanging loosely by its strap from his shoulder. "Have a nice shopping trip."

Mollified, Anise lowered her gun. Her finger caressed the trigger guard. "Good man. After you, Buck." The teen clamped his mouth shut and scrambled out of the building.

Anise tilted her head in the gray haired woman's direction and arched an eyebrow. Their silent pissing contest lasted until Dr. Brandon's wrinkles tripled in volume and she snarled, showing her yellowed teeth to the impudent younger woman. "I'll see you both tonight for dinner."

"Later." The rebel leader followed her sidekick outside, where she trembled in the sudden cold.


	14. Fear and Doubt

A/N - Yea, I miss Rain too! Which is why I avoided writing this chapter and worked on others instead :)

Oh, yes, I'm also supposed to mention that the length of this chapter is LouiseWolff's fault... Ha! It was so much simpler when 12,13,14,15 were all one, much shorter chapter. But, no, she made me stretch them out!

* * *

**Chapter 14**

_**Fear and Doubt**_

They made good time jogging from the labs. Anise was glad she did not have to stop and speak. She was pretty afraid of what she had done and of how Buck would react. There was no doubt in her mind that she would have killed Morrison. At that moment, the man had simply been an obstacle, not a human being. Never in her life did she think she could be so cold and callous like that. Violence had never had such a prominent role in her life before the Hive incident. She wondered what Rain would think of how Anise had decided to use the pistol given to her for protection. What would her parents think of her? Who the hell was she becoming?

With her thoughts full, they made their way to a 'L' train station. She absentmindedly swiped her pass and headed toward the platform. Fiddling with her gloves, she avoided looking at her young companion, or anyone else, for that matter. She did let her eyes wander over the station, looking for those elusive payphones that used to dot every street corner. They were getting so rare, what with everyone converting to mobile phones. A train arrived and everyone crowded inside. Anise and Buck were forced to stand as the seats were all full from rush hour traffic.

As they were bumped and jostled by people and the moving train, Anise felt an unwelcome hand squeeze her butt. Hot rage thundered through her, powered by fear, anger, and the lingering adrenaline from threatening Morrison. Her reaction was so fast that she broke his wrist and was breathing in his face before she realized what she was doing. The man howled in surprise and pain, and his rotten, fish smelling breath nearly choked Anise.

"I should break your neck too." She hissed into his pock-marked face. Cries of distress from the other passengers drew her attention. Abruptly, she registered what she had just done and said. Her complexion blanched, and she dropped his broken wrist like it had burned her. Staring into the man's terrified, pain-filled eyes, she backed up into Buck, who had pivoted around to check on the commotion.

"What happened?" He asked, but Anise couldn't speak, her heart was in her throat and her mouth was as dry as a desert summer. She was shaking her head and squeezing by, aching to exit the train. The train was slowing for the next platform. Anise was the first person off. She struggled against the crowd of people until she finally found herself with a few feet of space around her. Desperately, she looked for a payphone. She needed to call her family, needed the anchor that hearing their voices would provide.

A phone appeared in her path, with a grungy-looking woman talking into the headset. Anise dove at the wondrous piece of technology. Her finger pressed the lever and she glared into the other woman's face. "Your phone call's over. Leave." The filthy woman grew flushed and angry, so Anise pulled out her gun and tapped it on her thigh. A quick glance down greatly changed the angry visage. The cowed stranger held up her hands and backed up several feet. Anise jerked her chin and the other woman gratefully melted into the flowing mass of people.

Anise fumbled in her bag for coins. She dropped several before she finally got enough change into the box to dial the first number. Her father's cell phone rang six times before his voicemail picked up. Anise nearly burst into tears at the sound of his voice greeting. She hung up and tried her mother's mobile number. Another voicemail answered. The other two numbers she knew by heart met the same result. "Fuck me." She dug in her bag again for more change, and only came up with a nickel. Detoured, but not defeated, she scoured the ground for the coins she had dropped earlier. Her efforts found her several pennies, a quarter, and another nickel. Not even enough to make another call. "Motherfucker!"

"Here." A massive hand held out a handful of shiny silver coins by her nose. Looking up revealed her young friend had managed, once again, to find her. The kid was scary good at stalking her. She sighed to herself. Buck was almost 18, he should be scary good at getting teenage girls' numbers with his charming smile and pretty blue eyes. He shouldn't be awesome at creeping around and following a failed lab experiment.

"Thanks, buddy." She tried to smile, failed miserably, and took some change instead. This time, when the call went to voicemail, she left a message. "Hey, Dad. It's Anise. I know Umbrella told you that I died, but I'm alive. They lied, about everything. Look, I'll keep trying to call, but listen, this is really important. The zombies are real, caused by the T-virus. Don't get bitten. Bash the head to kill them. I love..." The automated voice system told her she had run out of time, cutting her message short.

Buck silently held out more change that she gratefully took. She crammed it into the slot and dialed again. Her mom's inbox got a similar message from Anise, only her voice shook a whole lot more. More change was given and she left another, whimpered message on her brother's voicemail. There were so many possible reasons why no one was answering. Too bad she figured that the worse had happened, that it was already too late to save them. Dammit, she was always too fucking late. What the hell was she good for if she couldn't protect the people she loved?

"I'm out of change. We can try again later." Buck lightly tugged on her arm. "Come on, there's a sporting goods place close to the next stop." After a sigh, he pried the headset from her hand and hung it up. He wrapped an arm about her waist and basically dragged her back to the train platform. They got on the train when it arrived. However, when it stopped, neither moved. Until the end of the line, the duo sat silently. They stepped off, and got back on the next train. That was how they spent their morning, riding trains with Buck's one-armed hug desperately trying to keep Anise from falling apart.

* * *

Around lunchtime, Buck dragged his friend off the train and directed them to a restaurant. The scent of food awoke Anise's stomach. Its thunderous growls brought Anise out of her stupor. A host guided them to a cozy booth by the windows of the spiffy burger joint. Along the booth's tall separators were hooks where they draped their coats and hats. While Buck surveyed his menu, Anise considered him. "Thanks. Again." She wiped a few stray hairs from her eyes and tucked them behind her ear. "Buck, are you OK? You acting strong while I'm being a whimpering idiot?"

He looked at her over the edge of his laminated menu. For a moment, he chewed on his lip, then blew out a puff of air and spoke. "Not really. I got pretty attached to them too. Carlos was great. It was kinda awesome to spend time with another guy and talk about guy stuff. The lab geeks," he paused. "They weren't in Raccoon City. Spending time with everyone at the hotel..." His voice trailed off.

"Yea." Anise knew what he was trying to say. The RC survivors hadn't treated Buck like a kid. They had treated him as another survivor, like a man with experience and skills to contribute. At the labs, they were both fairly useless. If Anise didn't have the enzyme, the team would never give her the time of day. And it was only Buck's association with and protective attitude toward Anise that got him any respect at all.

Buck nodded.

"So, gun shopping after lunch? I promise I won't collapse into a useless rag doll again."

Eagerly, the teen nodded. "Definitely. There's this new model I can't wait to see."

Watching his face light up at the prospect of handling guns and other shiny, destructive weapons was worth it. She kept her groan of annoyance to herself. Besides, Rain would be approve, and Anise was definitely a sucker for making Rain smile. As Buck began detailing the gun he was so ecstatic about, Anise suddenly realized she had a new goal. Until her girlfriend returned, she would learn everything that Buck could teach her about guns. It would make Estella and Buck happy, and it might even help keep her Herculean little brother safe.

* * *

Buck took Anise out gun shopping every day that week, much to Dr. Brandon's consternation. The old bat did not like the idea of the youth handling firearms, let alone the two of them wandering about. Even if she could learn about guns just as easily from the couch with Buck's massive collection of books and magazines, irritating the stuffy old woman was enough incentive for Anise to follow Buck willingly.

Taking care to watch their fellow humans for signs of infection, they made their way through sporting goods stores, pawn shops, and gun stores. Turning the trips into hands-on learning was Buck's not-so-secret mission. Because they did not have a Firearms Owner's Identification Card, no one would sell them weapons or ammo. All they could get was apologetic smiles and suspicious glances, maintenance supplies, and gear. It irritated her to no end, and there was nothing she could do about it. Just like there was nothing she could do about her family's safety. None of her family ever answered their phones. Her despair grew with every droning ring and voicemail answer.

Neither Morrison nor his commandos could be bribed into buying Buck the rifle he wanted so badly. They were firmly under Dr. Brandon's control. The security head did give them access to the firing range set up in the lab's basements, along with any gun and ammo they wanted to practice with. That most of the ammo they took wasn't used in practice was never brought up by Morrison and that fact earned him some of Anise's grudging respect. Anise struggled against going down below the soil level, but her young friend slapped her and told her Rain would be impressed when they met up again. Anise groaned at how well the teenager could read and manipulate her.

During one shopping trip, a busload of infected careened into town, taking out Big O!. The duo did their best to put down the zombies before they spread too far. Ammo depletion and the local police interrupted them before they could finish the extermination. They fled before the poor, ignorant uniforms caught them and locked them in a jail cell. At least three infected escaped as well. Anise marked the death of the trendy restaurant as the official beginning of the end of the world. Anxiously, she began to watch the streets from her bedroom window for any sign of Rain. She had told Rain where Keeper Labs were and Anise fully expected the woman to show up any day.

Several days later, there was still no sign of Rain or any of the other survivors. The news broadcasts were constantly on and steadily worsening. Traveling around Chicago had become increasingly dangerous with infected popping up everywhere. Getting by Dr. Brandon to do so also became treacherously hard. Morrison had to step between the women several times to keep Anise from launching one of her curled fists into yellow teeth. Everyone in the building was affected by the powerful tension. Whenever either woman was present, the research team walked on eggshells and the security team's faces slid into stony, professional masks.

* * *

Buck threw a party. With Morrison's help there was a massive variety of pizza, a popcorn machine, and a ton of all kinds of candy. And every kind of alcohol that existed. Throughout the evening, most of the building's 67 occupants spent a good deal of time enjoying the festive atmosphere. The living area was turned into Keeper Theaters. First on the movie lineup was Sleepy Hollow, which Anise had never seen before. She felt a certain sense of familiarity watching Ichabod's antics and laughed throatily every time he passed out. At the credits, she got up to follow the scent of a new food baking in the kitchen.

"What's this?" Picking up the box off of the counter, she queried. "Some cheap frozen appetizer?"

"Yea. My mom was a health nut. Whenever she left town to go to a nutrition convention, Dad bought us tons of junk food." Anise raised an eyebrow at Buck's happy disposition. Buck rarely spoke of his dead family and when he did, he always choked up. The warm smile on his face really threw her.

"Your dad sounds pretty cool."

"Way cool. We were really close. I thought this was a good way to honor him."

"By buying cheap, nutritionally deficient food?"

He pulled out a tray of hot, steaming triangles. "Yep."

"Sounds good to me." She snagged a triangle, yelped as she burned her fingers, and shoved it into her mouth. Making stupid 'o's with her mouth and huffing air to cool the scalding food, she chewed the crunchy-gooey-cheesy-thing quickly. Buck laughed at her idiocy and plated the rest of the snacks. "Yep, tastes completely manufactured. Yummy." She stole another triangle and tugged the kid to the seats she had picked out next to her favorite lab geek.

Tanya was a second generation Japanese-American. She had two PhD's in neurobiology and immunology and a master's in archeology. The woman had grown up with the stereotypical Asian parents that pushed her to overachieve, to be a doctor and make lots of money. She'd naturally rebelled and studied archeology. It was only after that she had realized how much she actually enjoyed science, that she went back for the other degrees. The Asian was a kindred spirit, and one of the few lab geeks that Anise truly felt comfortable around. "Hey, want some rebellious, unhealthy food?" Anise offered up a golden, crispy triangle that was received with a laugh.

"Absolutely. Reminds me of college."

"College was fun."

"Yep. Miss the good ol' days." Tanya gave Anise a knowing look. "Away from patronizing, self-appointed authority."

"And living alone." Anise murmured longingly.

"Oh, God. Yes!" As one, they burst into laughter, clinked their glasses of wine, and drank.

* * *

After another three days without Rain, the power went out during a snowstorm. The lab's diesel generator was powered up to protect the experiments and keep the building warm. Video games and movies were no longer options, in order to preserve power. Card games with the research team and working out in the gym filled most of the time. Everyone avoided talking about the carnage on the streets clearly visible through the windows. Anise still overheard several conversations discussing if it was similar to what happened in RC and started receiving more awed and fearful looks. They grated on her nerves almost as much as the Doc's sneering face.

Later that night, Anise woke in a cold sweat from her most recent nightmare. Images of an Umbrella lab, blood, and being underground again, were powerful and terrifying. From then on, her dreams started to be filled with images of Rain and the other survivors running for their lives from Umbrella operatives and infected creatures. Shaking off the feeling of being watched was impossible. Anise found herself constantly looking over her shoulder. When Buck noticed, she spoke of the disturbing nightmares and the creepy, stalked feelings that came with them.

The kid tried his best to cheer her up and distract her with challenges in the gym and word puzzles. He also gave her strict orders to read everyday from his collection of gun magazines and books. Every evening, he quizzed her. Buck also made her learn to strip and clean the Ruger that he forced her to carry holstered on her hip. Anise wore it because it pissed off Doc Brandon and wearing it would've made Rain smile. Damn. She missed her soldier and the thrill of getting to know the softer side that came with the name Estella.

* * *

Alone in her room one afternoon, she opened the manila folder from Angie. Thumbing through the images, she settled on one and dropped the package back to her nightstand. Anise padded over to her bed and slumped down. She curled up in the blankets, staring at the picture. Her gorgeous Estella was smiling and laughing, wearing that perfect blue dress and holding Anise by her hips. That moment had been perfect. Tears made hot tracks across her cheeks. Fuck Umbrella. Arrogant asshats. Anise cried herself to sleep. Again.

* * *

Watching from the fourth story window of her bedroom as Chicago tore itself apart was depressing. Fires burned unchecked. Looters and pillagers ran alongside zombies and terrified civilians. The National Guard and local police forces had tried hard to contain the violence and had failed awesomely. Her scowl deepened as she watched a group of schoolchildren shamble up to a bleeding, crying woman and sink their teeth into the poor soul. Blood spurted from the wounds and even though the thick glass panes kept out sound, she could still imagine the woman's screams. Her memory supplied her with all the soundtrack for death she needed. Anise turned away from the terror and confusion in those dying eyes. She allowed the curtains to fall back in place, obscuring the view of death and carnage in the streets.

Another picture was pulled from the envelope. It was monochromatic and taken in soft focus, of herself and Rain just after the blood draw. The Latina was seated in the overstuffed armchair with Anise's legs across her lap and the dark braid held by pale hands. And the look on Rain's face stole her breath away. Rain was awe-struck and gazed adoringly at Anise, whose expression was contemplative, and unaware of Rain's open-mouthed admiration. The tall woman appeared mysterious and stunningly attractive.

Anise gaped at the foreign image of herself that Angie had captured. Everyone seemed to look at Anise differently since the Hive. Even herself. The woman that looked back at her in the mirror wasn't the same woman she remembered from before. Once upon a time, people gave her vaguely interested looks, but mostly ignored her until she spoke up.

Now, though, their gazes zoomed in on her when she entered a room, like she held all the secrets of the universe or some shit. She stared at the photo for a long time, wondering if what she was now seeing was how other people actually saw her. The woman in the photo could actually be the rebel leader that Rhonda had talked about. Anise felt no connection with her at all. "Who the hell are you?" She demanded. "What am I supposed to be doing?" Tears dripped from her swollen eyes. "And why the _fuck_ didn't you stay with Estella?"


	15. Spicy Contradictions

A/N - And now for the latest installment in the riveting story of the end of the world!

*cue music* bum bum bum

* * *

**Chapter 15**

_**Spicy Contradictions**_

"Let's go shopping, Buck." Anise threw down her losing Poker hand and fixed Buck with an intense stare. Startled at her proclamation, Buck dropped his hand and exposed his full house to the table. The trio of scientists groaned and threw in their hands as well.

"Anise," he whined. "I was winning."

Tanya added her own thoughts. "And the city's kind of overrun by mindless cannibals."  
Unconcerned with such petty details, the enhanced woman shrugged. "Nothing we haven't faced before. Come on, buddy. We can get you that rifle you've been drooling about for the past few weeks." The teen perked up at the rifle's mention.

"I'm not really in the mood to run from zombies." Buck half-heartedly complained.

Knowing she had his attention, she pushed with her argument to get them out of the labs. "We won't even have to bring it back to test it out. I'm sure the targets will just line themselves up."

"Yea, in massive numbers that could easily overwhelm us." He rejoined.

"We might find survivors."

"That we'd have to convince to trust us, protect them, and then we'd have even more cramped living conditions."

"One of them might be a cute teenaged girl. We don't have any of those around here."

A smile tugged at Buck's lips. "Knowing my luck, she'll be gay and crush on you."

"It's an awful possibility. Won't know till we try." Her own smile was fighting to surface.

"How are we supposed to get there? The trains aren't exactly running."

"Apparently, dead people don't need their cars anymore. There's a really nice Hummer parked about a block away. Do you realize how much ammo and shit we can fit in a Hummer?"

The lab geeks exchanged looks and returned to looking at Anise with a mixture of disbelief and awe. "You're really something else." Tanya noted. Anise glanced at her and winked.

"And it has a grill guard. Doesn't zombie bowling sound like fun?"

"OK! You win." Buck chuckled and Anise pumped her arm in victory. The lab geeks gawked at their antics. "But we'll need to take a commando."

Anise's face fell. "What the fuck? Why?"

"You remember how sneaky zombies are. They freaking roam in packs. We could use the backup. And it'd be good to have more than just us with experience killing infected."

He had a good point. Really good, actually. She and the teen were the only ones that had experience in dealing with the undead. Staring out windows and hearing stories did not count. "Fine."

"You aren't going to make me go now, though, are you? It's kinda pitch black out there." Buck gestured out the windows to the powerless, darkened Chicago.

"Oh, alright, you pansy. I suppose we could let the rest know and see if there's anything anyone wants to add to our shopping list."

"Dr. Brandon is going to have a fit." Tanya's statement dropped the temperature in the room by several degrees.

The spicy woman snarled. "If she gets in my way again, someone's gonna have to sedate me to keep her face the way it is." Anise, with good reason, blamed the Doc and her restrictive measures, for the loss of her family. Logically, she couldn't blame her for Rain not showing up yet, but she did anyway. Add on her stifling attitude and Anise had grown to loathe the gray haired scientist. The woman was great at leading the research team, not at playing mayor of their little community.

The Asian put her hands up to placate her angry friend. Her own parents had been dead for years and what extended family she'd had died in Raccoon City. "Won't find me holding that syringe." And the other lab geeks followed her lead with similar platitudes.

"Stop being such a bitch, Anise." Buck chided his sister. "Can we get back to the game now? If I keep up this streak, I won't have to do any chores for another month."

Anise huffed. "Sorry, guys. Didn't mean to take it out on you."

Rising from her seat, Tanya patted Anise on the shoulder. "I don't blame you. But, I do like you better drunk. I'll be back with that bottle I know Brandon has stashed in the lab." She paused before she stepped away. "Add alcohol to the shopping list?"

Her good humor returned, Anise nodded enthusiastically. "For sure." She turned to Buck. "I think we'll be making quite a few trips."

"Yea. I kinda figured that." Buck gathered up the cards and shuffled while they waited on Tanya's return.

"Can I add chocolate to the list?" Susan, one of the scientists added.

With a nod, the rebel leader stood. "I need to write stuff down. Be back in a sec." She retrieved pen and paper from her room. On her return, one of the security team stopped her.

"I want to come." He was a stocky man and a few inches shorter than Anise, with a dark complexion and one oddly crooked tooth. The woman wasn't exactly surprised that their conversation had been eavesdropped on Quite a few faces seemed eager. She smiled politely and listened. "I'm a mechanic and I might not have zombie fighting experience, but I spent time in Afghanistan and Iraq." A glance down to his body backed up his claim to be a mechanic. He had massive, scarred, calloused fingers, and his arms were thick from wrestling with unyielding machines. Even hidden under his uniform, his barreled chest vied for size with Buck and she could tell he was a powerful man.

"What's your name?"

"David Foreman."

"Out there," she gestured to the windows. "Amongst the terrified populace, the infected and the sick T-virus mutants, your experience fighting living, rational people means shit. You either kill or outrun them, or you die. I have to know that you'll follow my orders without question."

Foreman did not seemed fazed at her dismissal of his experience or her assumed authority. "Yes, ma'am."

"Alright then, Foreman." She used his last name, like she did for all of the military-esque personnel. Calling them by their first names seemed wrong somehow. "I'll talk to Morrison about it tomorrow." After all, it would be rather rude to steal one of his commandos without telling the guy.

"I'd like to add vehicles, tools, and spare parts to that list." Foreman added.

Anise blinked and furrowed her brow. "Why?"

"We're going to leave this place eventually. Go to that facility in the mountains. All we have at our disposal to move almost 70 people, the lab equipment, and basic supplies is a couple of Humvees and a light duty cargo truck. That doesn't even take into account any extra survivors we may pick up, the poor condition of spring roads without crews to clear and repair them, or general mishaps that a long roadtrip entails."

"Oh." It had been in the back of her mind, though she had not given the idea of leaving Chicago much thought. She was still hoping for Rain to show up. "Yea. You're right. Have you talked to Morrison or the Doc about this?"

"With the Lt., yes. I'm sure the doctor will see the need for extra vehicles as well."

Anise stood quietly for several moments, considering what the mechanic had detailed. Tanya returned with her stolen bottle of what looked to be brandy, glancing at them curiously. Her fellow scientists filled her in on what she had missed. "I think we won't be the only ones shopping. Morrison will have to see the need to send out another team."

"Not separately. Not a first. We need to train them." Buck spoke up, having been listening as well. "Two carloads. Three or four in each vehicle. Start somewhere close." He paused and licked his lips. "Each time we go out, the infected will follow us home. We'll have to fight through them every time we leave the gates. There's already a bunch out there."

"This doesn't sound like fun anymore." Anise groaned. "I liked it better when it was just the two of us, shopping for guns and pissing the Doc off."

Buck shrugged. "This was bound to happen, Spice."

"Spice?" The hell did that come from?

"You needed a callsign. We'll be using radios too."

Anise groaned. "Can't you call me something else?"

"Like what? Spice kind of suits you, girl." Tanya interrupted. "You're certainly fiery enough to make my favorite curry seem dull."

"I'm not food!" She cried out. "And..." Her growling stomach interrupted the rest of her argument. "Don't you even start," she pointed a taut finger at Buck. Another round of gurgles had the group grinning at her flush of anger. With a huff, she stomped off to the kitchen, muttering about the nerve of some people. Muffled laughter trailed after her.

* * *

Getting Dr. Brandon to allow the commandos out wasn't all that difficult. The woman quite readily saw the need to gather supplies and collect vehicles for the journey to the Rockies. What she balked at was Anise joining them. The idea of their only source for a possible cure putting her life unnecessarily in harm's way just to combat her cabin fever really pissed her off. Not that Anise had any intention of conceding to the old woman's demands that she stay inside. She merely crooked an affronted eyebrow at the woman and stared her down. Morrison wisely stayed silent until Anise's lips quirked in victory at Brandon's sigh of defeat.

"Try not to get yourself killed, Anise. And Lt. Morrison, do your best to protect her from herself."

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded sharply.

"Be back by nightfall," was her last command.

"We'll radio if we won't be." Anise retorted, her voice firm and tightly controlled. "There's no telling what we'll run into out there."

The gray haired woman visibly bit back a sharp reply. "Fine. Just make sure that you _do_ come back."

Finally, the old bat was starting to see reason. "Now, that, we both can agree on." She smiled, even if was a tad vicious. "After all, this is where Rain is expecting me to be."

Something flashed across Dr. Brandon's face, though Anise wasn't sure what it was. She nodded and dismissed the pair from her office. Anise rolled her eyes and left with Morrison hot on her heels.

* * *

Plowing through the city in the Hummer turned out to be a lot of fun. Infected people made great bowling pins and Anise thoroughly enjoyed playing the part of the bowling ball. From the back seat, Foreman groaned about the bumpy ride. "Ever done any work on a Shelby Mustang?" Anise asked the car-sick man.

"Never had the pleasure."

"I have. My uncle's a mechanic and he let me help out in his shop when I was younger." Having gained the mechanic's attention, she drove and regaled the boys with tales of wrenches, grease monkeys, and exploding NOS tanks.

* * *

"You can't hesitate." Anise spoke as she cut down the handful of infected that had pinned the commando down. "Always assume it's a zombie. That brief moment when you hope it's actually a living person will get you bitten or killed." Her ax removed the final threat of the moment. "Sometimes both." She turned and offered the fallen man a hand up, her keen eyes happily noting he wasn't bitten.

Morrison accepted the hand and her rebuke. "Yes, ma'am. That's good advice."

"Of course it is." Buck stated, his large frame was leaning against the door. "When fighting the undead, there's no room for being soft. Anise knows what she's talking about. After all, she's been protecting others from Umbrella's experiments for a long time."

"And I'm glad of it." Morrison's eyes studied the woman's blood spattered frame and dripping ax. "You are one hell of a woman, ma'am." He checked his gun and replaced the used clip with a fresh one. "If it's alright with you, we should get moving."

Taking in his ready stance, Anise was surprised that the leader actually seemed to be waiting on her command. "Yea. Let's finish loading up the cars and get the hell out of here."

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

It was funny how when Dr. Brandon laid eyes on Anise's blood and gore covered body that whatever comment she had been about to make died on her lips. The harsh look faded from her wrinkled face, and her hands dropped from their crossed position. A handful of security personnel and curious lab geeks in the garage gawked silently as well. She shrugged out of her stained coat and tossed it on the Hummer's side mirror. "I brought them all back, Doc. Plus one." She nodded her head at the civilian climbing down from a white Ford F-250 smeared with blood. "There's ammo, guns, wine, and we emptied a small convenience store into Jim's truck. What's for dinner?"

"Chili. It's quite spicy." The old woman responded, her tone even and lacking its usual patronizing attitude.

Such a plain answer had Anise's eyebrow arching up. She mentally shrugged and spoke amiably as she turned back to the Hummer and reached inside. "Great. I need something to get the taste of infected blood out of my mouth." Holding a bottle of red wine and her filthy ax, Anise made to leave. "I think I'll shower first." She paused, looking to the equally gore-covered commando. "Morrison."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Make sure Jim gets settled in?" She wanted to make sure the guy wasn't sent packing by the lead scientist.

He nodded, not even bothering to check with Dr. Brandon. "Of course, ma'am."

The good doctor's eyes flitted between the enhanced woman and the head of security. "No one got bitten?"

"Nope." Anise was rather proud of that fact and it showed in her smug grin.

"Well. That's quite the feat, I'm sure."

"Quite." She rolled her eyes and strode past the woman to the stairwell, eager to clean off her body and ax. The security team turned into gossipy teenagers as soon as she exited the garage, exchanging stories of zombies and Anise's scary-good skill with her ax. She stalled her climb, hearing Morrison's distinct baritone sharing his tale of Anise saving his life. He spoke of her valiantly jumping in at the last moment, ax singing as it shaved through infected skulls. Morrison really had a knack for storytelling. The guy painted a magnificent picture of a hero and brave leader, protecting and teaching him how to survive in a world of zombies. It was... disturbing. There was that rebel leader bullshit again. She sighed and continued her trek up the stairs.

* * *

They had quite the convoy of vehicles and supplies. Two weeks of scavenging with the security team had produced several nice trucks, SUVs, and a tour bus. Along with the handful of Humvees and the one cargo truck that the labs already had on hand, everyone, the supplies, and lab equipment could be moved. The poor garage had quickly overflowed with vehicles, so they had taken over the neighboring warehouse. It was easy enough to secure and made a better working area once they got some heat lamps and space heaters set up. Foreman and Anise worked in tandem as lead mechanics to get everything in good condition. Between them and the dozen or so helpers, they also upgraded everything to be as zombie-proof as possible.

Over the next couple weeks, vulnerable doors and windows were reinforced with metal grating. Grill guards, roof rails, and tow kits were installed for versatility and protection. As they had chosen vehicles that all used diesel, Buck came up with the idea to get a semi to tow a tank of fuel. There were plenty of people to drive the vehicles and they had picked up an experienced truck driver during one scavenging trip. With the survivors they kept finding, the population of Keeper Labs had jumped from 67 to 89. Anise hoped it continued to grow, even though she was now sharing her room with Tanya, who had given her room to a pair of sisters. Tanya wasn't exactly her first choice of a woman to share her bed. Since Rain was still MIA, she grudgingly accepted her older friend into her personal space. There were worse roommates she could be stuck with, like that prejudiced virologist bitch that glared at her every time they crossed paths.

One night, Tanya found the manila folder and was drifting through the collection of photos. She held up the colored image of Rain in a dress, intimately holding Anise. "She's incredibly beautiful. I thought you said she was a hardcore soldier. This red carpet beauty is not what I was picturing."

"She's a walking contradiction." Anise drawled out.

"I can see why you two were drawn together."

"What are you talking about?"

Tanya looked up from her perusal of the happy couple. "Do I really have to spell it out?" Anise's brow furrowed and her lips pursed. "I guess I do." She brushed aside a few loose hairs that Anise was surprised to note had a few silver streaks. "You're usually a very friendly, happy-go-lucky, mischief maker. But, back you into a corner or threaten Buck and you're all momma bear. Ever since you started going out 'car shopping'," she held up air quotes with a small grin, "The security team hops to whenever you're around. They do what you say, when it doesn't completely contradict Dr. Brandon. Heck, if you weren't leading the parade, we'd be scraping for food and fighting amongst ourselves. Dr. Brandon would've waited until the supplies completely ran out before letting anyone outside."

Shit. She wasn't saying what she thought she was. Was she?

"What was it that Rhonda chick said? Right. Leader of the rebel forces. You're like Luke Skywalker to us. Or maybe Princess Leia. She was actually in charge." The Asian woman giggled. "That's so fitting. You and Buck, the Skywalkers. I think that would make Umbrella the Empire with the infected as their storm troopers. Buck is going to laugh so hard when I tell him."

"Don't!" Anise snapped at her.

Tanya recoiled at the outburst, her features pulling into a frown. "Why not?"

"I'm not this rebel leader. I'm just Anise. A woman who has terrible luck with dating and a knack for causing trouble." She dug through the pile of photos until she came up with the black and white one that still baffled her. Holding it up to Tanya's face, she continued. "Angie must've Photoshopped this shit, because it isn't me!"

Hesitantly, her almond eyes wide from Anise's shouting, Tanya took the slightly wrinkled photo from her shaking hand. After several moments of studying the photo, Tanya spoke. "You don't think you're strong and beautiful, able to take on hordes of unholy creatures to protect someone you care about? Don't think you're capable of making astonishing sacrifices to try and save complete strangers from the idiocy of others? Can't believe that an amazing person like Rain could fall in love with you?" Tanya pulled her eyes from the photo to see Anise fingering her scar and fighting tears. "You're an incredibly strong woman. It's only natural that we would start to look at you as our leader. Especially when the one we have is rather lacking. Dr. Brandon is a brilliant scientist, I'll readily admit. What she isn't capable of is shepherding a community during, for lack of a better word, a war."

"And you think I am?" Anise sniffled, still fighting to accept what Tanya was trying to saddle her with. "I'm not a leader, never wanted to be."

"But you are. And if you don't lead us, we're screwed. Once we leave here, Brandon won't be able to protect us from the infection. You can, you have, and you would."

Anise stood and strode to the window. It was dark outside, but she stared out anyway. "Morrison can do it."

"Why did you join Project Afterthought?"

"The T-virus..."

"Bullshit. What drove you to jump into a mob of hungry undead with only a broken screwdriver to save a stranger? Where did you find the strength to let Rain ride off into the sunset while you stayed behind so we could keep trying to cure the T-virus?"

Keeping her back turned to the woman, Anise chewed on her cheek. In the reflection, Tanya watched her lean an elbow on the window and run a finger along the jagged line marring her features.

"How did you get that scar?"

Anise took a shuddering breath. "No. I'm not sharing that tale. Not today."

"Woman, you need to..."

"No." She fixed Tanya with a pleading look. "Ask me again some day and I'll tell you. Just, not today."

Tanya studied Anise's face for a long time. What she saw, Anise didn't have a clue, but eventually her friend nodded in agreement. "Alright." She dropped her eyes to the pile of photographs again. Picking one up, she showed it to the pale woman. "Tell me about this man, he's cute."

"Carlos? He's a pretty awesome guy in my book..."


	16. Thrifty

A/N - Greetings from New York City! On vacation, visiting my brother, and finally had a few moments of downtime. So, while I'm listening to a wonderful thunderstorm, I thought that I'd finish editing this itty bitty chapter.

Hopefully, I'll get another chapter finished before classes start in two weeks... Or maybe another chapter on Apocalypse Meets Rain.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

_**Thrifty**_

Stuck underground again, Anise groaned at the thought and tried not to think about it. The drive across the upper Midwest was taking forever. Really, the trip from Chicago, Illinois to Unfettered, Montana was only about 1,700 miles. That kind of distance would have been covered in four days, max, with leisurely rest breaks and hotel stays. That was before the T-virus consumed the North American continent and moved on to the rest of the world. Given that, they had planned and supplied the convoy for a 12 day trip. It had been over a week already, and they had yet to cross South Dakota.

Cars blocked highways haphazardly. Spring weather extremes dumped rain, snow, and frigid temperatures on them. The roads had terrible potholes and cracked concrete that greatly discouraged fast speeds. They could not afford bent rims or cracked axles. Driving at night was impossibly dangerous, stopping to make camp before sundown was mandatory. Zombies roamed freely, supplies needed to be replenished, and they kept picking up survivors and fighting off rampaging herds of infected. Silly survivors, slowing the trip down. Anise was not sure if she was irritated or pleased they were delaying her being trapped deep in the Earth again.

Buck, her favorite guy ever, patted her on the knee absently. He was dismantling his favorite assault rifle that he had picked up back in the Windy City. Watching him expertly removing the firing mechanism and run practiced eyes over the pieces reminded Anise of the Doc's bitter complaints about the teenager having such a dangerous weapon. The old bat had raised holy hell until Anise threatened to spend the entire trip naked as a jaybird if Buck stayed armed with only the pistol from Rain. Although a few people had smiled and winked, the Doc had scowled and bitterly withdrawn her complaint.

"Thinking about being underground or your girl?"

"Undergound."

He pulled his attention from examining the barrel to look at her. "I heard them talking about there being loads of natural caves just waiting to be explored. You studied geology, right? It'd be fun to go spelunking. Maybe we'll find some caverns full of giant crystals."

Somehow, he always knew how to pick her spirits up. "That would be pretty cool. Did you ever hear about that cave in Mexico with the massive selenite crystals? Some of them were meters long, absolutely phenomenal."

"Nope, sounds like something you would watch on Discovery Channel or something equally educational. Boring. The Military Channel is way better."

"Not a chance. Tanks and guns are cool, but don't hold a candle to the tiniest volcano."

They continued on like that for a few hours until their caravan stopped at an abandoned gas station. While the others stayed on the bus, the dynamic duo joined the commandos in scouting out the area. Although the place was rather quiet, its similarity to the town where the convoy had encountered its first T-virus monster was unnerving. Anise couldn't help but picture the creature as she peered down the alley, past the smelly dumpster and blowing trash.

It had looked like a cross between a monkey, a shark, and a scorpion, nastily mutated by the T-virus. Fucker had probably only weighed 90 pounds, yet had little trouble taking down a commando built like a line-backer. The rows of serrated teeth chewed through flak vests and car doors like steak. The tail was barbed, vicious and blindingly fast. Squad Alpha had lost half its numbers until Anise tackled the beast barehanded. They wrestled for several minutes and she gained many beautiful new lacerations across her body for it. She managed to pin it long enough for Buck to drive a pitchfork through the tail and into the exterior wall of the convenience store, effectively trapping it for several seconds. It was just long enough for Buck to shove his pistol into its mouth and paint the building with its brain and skull.

After that little display of heroism, the commandos had made Buck an honorary member. He wore their black uniform and combat vest proudly, after he added his own logo above the squad's badge. Sewn by his own hand, red lettering over a white field, it read _SpiceKeeper_ and had earned a rather spectacular glower from his older friend. Buck's response was to ask if she'd ever watched the movie Dune, or read the book. She had seen the first movie. He'd said it made sense, that the Spice would determine Earth's fate. Whether they all lived or died relied on Anise's blood and the cure it could provide.

Grudgingly, she had refrained from ripping the badge off his shoulder. Yet, being compared to a creepy worm's discharge was not complimentary, and she let him know it. When the rest of the commandos starting wearing their own handmade badges with the same design, she had simply walked up to Buck and slugged him in the gut. She never spoke about it, and only glared at him when one of the children painted the side of their armored bus with _SpiceRide_. Every time some new variation on the theme appeared, his face would light up like a kid on Christmas.

Buck had woken up the morning of their seventh day, his skin dyed green and only wearing purple sweat pants over his boxers. Painted on his chest, in white letters was _don't make me mad_. No one in the convoy could say what happened. Anise had looked entirely too pleased with herself. His vivid green skin made Anise smile every time she looked at him. That dye would last for several more days at least, as showering daily was out of the question. Bathrooms at truckstops were incredibly dangerous with the T-virus running rampant.

The team finished scoping out the area and was setting up a perimeter so the convoy could unload its travel weary passengers, scavenge supplies, and empty the gas tanks. Anise examined her mountain of a friend, checking for injuries. "Did you grow again?"

"I dunno. Did you shrink again?"

"We're measuring you the moment we find something to do it with."

"Sure, Spice." He called her by the irritating nickname and flexed his green bicep. "I wanna measure my guns too."

Smacking him lightly, she moved to the thrift shop next to the gas station. "Sure thing, Hulk."

That was the best part of her prank, Buck hated the Hulk. An eccentric, genius scientist that went all Jekyll and Hyde was not his idea of a hero. His favorite superhero was Batman, a basically normal guy who decided to fight crime with just his badass skills, and a little money. Anise figured he felt himself similar to the dark hero and agreed. Buck had been a normal guy until Umbrella killed his family and instilled in him a need for vengeance. She refused to think of herself as his Robin though. The kid was _her _sidekick. After listening for danger and not hearing anything exciting, she holstered her Ruger and browsed through the clothing racks in the little store and found her new favorite t-shirt. It was faded, had a juice stain on it, and a cartoon version of the Hulk was plastered across the front. Perfect.

She changed immediately, slipping the slim shirt over her thermal long-sleeve. Her coat and light armor fashioned from sports equipment quickly followed, she might be immune, but getting bitten hurt like hell. Hard plastic greaves, shin guards, and shoulder plates had done wonders to protect her and everyone who followed her example. Just as she slipped her bag back on, she spied a Frisbee in a toy bin. It was in perfect condition, she hoped the caves had somewhere to toss it around. Something twined around her designer combat boots.

"Holy shit!" She jumped a solid three feet into the air and landed in a toy bin, noisily falling in and sending rubber balls bouncing wildly.

A small shadow paused and silently approached her. "Mrow?" It sat down to regard her noisome antics.

"You scared the shit out of me, kitty." She grumbled at the furry calico beast. It tilted its head and blinked large golden eyes at her. The cat gathered itself and leapt up to the counter with the cash register, as Anise stood up.

"Spice!" Buck ran into the store, his gun aimed into the shadows, looking for a threat. "What happened?"

"Mrow?" The feline spoke again.

"Cat snuck up on me."

"You kidding me? That's it?"

"Something managed to sneak up on _me_! Only a cat could do that," she muttered.

He chuckled at her and approached the tiny animal. Its head butted up into his gloved palm and began to purr. "It looks like she's nursing kittens." He paused and spoke into his walkie. "False alarm."

"Ten-four." It buzzed back.

"Kittens?" Anise eyed the cat's underbelly. Sure enough, engorged nipples rode low on the belly. She closed her eyes and listened carefully, turning her head different directions. "I don't hear them."

"Let's check the back."

The cat stalked them as they eased their way into the back rooms of the place. A small office had blood smeared across the open door and a dried pool of it was on the floor. It looked like whoever had bled out had gotten back up and left a long time ago. There was an employee restroom with a dripping faucet and a small break room. They took all the shelf stable, unopened drinks from the fridge and the huge can of instant coffee. Unsorted merchandise was piled into bins throughout the modest warehouse. An overflowing litter box was in the back corner and several bags of cat food had been torn open by little claws.

"Someone was taking care of her back here. She probably didn't go far from her food source." Anise mused aloud. Buck nodded and stood still so she could listen again. The mother kitty twined around her ankles again before trotting off through stacks of merchandise. A tiny mew greeted Anise's ears. She smiled at Buck. "Found em."

Amazingly, the cat let them handle her four healthy kittens. They cooed over them and played gently with the tiny puffs of fur. Neither bothered asking the other if they would take them, they simply starting gathering supplies. Buck emptied a tote from the store and filled it with towels. He added a clean litter pan, scoop, trash bags, and Lysol wipes. Anise gathered all the cat food into a large plastic container and scoured the thrift store for more. Food bowls and kitty litter were added to the growing pile while the cat stalked Buck. A pet carrier was prepped with a layer of plastic, then towels, and the cat investigated it thoroughly.

Once the mother was satisfied, Buck started transferring the kittens into it. She watched him intensely, never growling nor hissing. When her brood was settled, she entered the carrier and curled up around her babies. "Mrow." She stated smugly and began to purr.

Anise patted Buck on his forearm. "You think we'll get them aboard before Doc Brandon notices?"

"Nope. We should enlist the kids to help. I'll be right back."

The cat watched him leave until he disappeared past the doors. She turned her attention to Anise. "Mrow?"

"I hope you like kids, kitty."

Turned out, the cat liked everybody, even the 12 year old sisters that fawned over the babies. Her kittens, on the other hand, spit and hissed at everyone. The survivors fell in love with the little terrors and stoutly ignored Dr. Brandon's arguments about supplies and space. They named the mother Thrifty and her kittens Penny, Nickel, Dime, and Anise had the pleasure of naming Bruce Banner. Anise liked the spunky little gray kitten with the wild green eyes the best and let Bruce cuddle with her on her Hulk shirt.

At each stop along the way, the kittens were locked in the carrier and the cat sometimes left the bus to follow Buck. The teen always made sure to check the cat thoroughly for scratches or zombie bites before he opened the kitty carrier. Thrifty never came back with injuries. Buck, however, did. Anise was beyond grateful for the generous stash of antivirus at their disposal. She swore to never complain about having her blood drawn again.


	17. Yip Yip Yip

A/N - Hello! I've got a new chapter ready and classes haven't started yet :) My next goal is two chapters before Retribution comes out! No promises though, with 16 credit hours, job hunting, and a trip to Maine ... well, suffice to say, after a quiet summer, fall will be incredibly busy for me. Hopefully, no riots will break out if I don't provide new chapters quickly lol

* * *

**Chapter 17**

_**Yip Yip Yip**_

Another _fantastic_ dream was entertaining her sleeping thoughts. She was in a convenience store, trying to get the gas pumps to start. The other Raccoon City survivors were scattered around the area. Carlos was at the pumps. Rain and Jill were acting as lookouts. And Angie was stretching her legs near Carlos. There were a load of infected nearby, of course. Already, she could feel them getting closer, their time at the gas station incredibly limited. There! The pumps started working, she gave Carlos and Angie a thumbs-up before she started raiding the store. Angie jogged over with several fabric bags to help.

Together, they emptied the shelves of water first, then went back for the Power Bar and jerky aisle. She stiffened. Infected were suddenly much too close. Grabbing Angie's collar, she hauled her and the bags of groceries outside, yelling for Rain and Jill. Gunfire echoed back. Shit. Panic set fire to her body as she tossed the girl in the SUV and pelted around the corner to help. Shit. Shit. Shit. So many. Way too many to fight off. The other women were already falling back.

Hefting a shotgun in her hands, she fired into the horde, giving Jill the chance to turn and run. Several infected creatures fell on Rain, taking the soldier to the pavement. Her screams thundered through Anise's skull.

"Fuck!" Anise sprang forward in her seat, chest heaving and sweat dripping down her back.

"Nightmare?" Buck touched her shoulder.

"Yea."

Looking around the crowded bus confirmed she had returned from her dream. Rain was nowhere in sight. Tears welled in her eyes and she hastily turned to face the window, hiding them from the other passengers. Stupid nightmares were always about the other RC survivors running from one danger or another. Or they were lovely romps back in the Hive, having to kill her friends while the Red Queen taunted her. Angrily, she clenched her hand around her thigh, trying to get her heart rate back to something under insanely fast.

Outside, the cold, wet plains of South Dakota rolled by slowly. A burning car threw up black smoke into the morning sky. She thought she saw people running out there, near a farmhouse several miles from the road. If they were, the convoy was too far away to help. Closing her eyes, Anise took a deep, controlled breath. Then several more, until her emotions and temper were back in check. Stupid, fucking, nightmare world.

Thrifty appeared by her head, having leapt up to the seat rest, and was looking at her plaintively. "Hey, cat. Hungry?"

"Mrow."

Buck grinned and got up to let Anise into the aisle. She stretched out her cramped muscles. "I miss being horizontal on a nice bed for naps." Grumbling like that, she picked the cat up, stroking its soft fur. Walking with a slight sway down the aisle, she exchanged hello's with various passengers. Tanya asked about her health, to which she replied with a smart-ass comment. She made it to the very back were the cat's little area was. The kittens mewled at her approach, and Thrifty leapt down to sniff and lick the feisty puffs of fur. While the mother was occupied, Anise snagged the empty food dish and scooped a cup of chow into it. She checked the water nipple that the cat hated, but still used. Satisfied with the amount, she spoke to the cat again. "All set, furball."

"Mrow." Thrifty attacked her dish, her tail swishing wildly, causing Anise to chuckle.

"Sup, Bruce." She greeted the gray kitten. It looked up at her with its bright green eyes. So far, it was the only one that had stopped hissing at her. All the others liked the teenage sidekick better. Over the din of conversations, she heard Morrison's voice from the radio saying they would stop at the town they were approaching. Dr. Brandon had finally been made to see wisdom of giving the man that level of authority. Supplies were low, it was a small place, low risk of problems. She had 20 minutes, so she scooped up the little fluff of gray to cuddle it. Licking her thumb, the kitten began to purr. Definitely her favorite kitty, its gentle caress calmed her jangling nerves. Small, innocent life, it reminded her of the good things that still existed and helped her fight back against the terrifying images of Rain getting swarmed by infected.

* * *

Ahead of the civilians, the security team did a quick sweep in their Humvees while Anise sat on the bus roof with a set of binoculars and listened. The town appeared deserted, no living or undead to speak of. Anise echoed the commando's sentiments and agreed that it was a good place to let people out for a stretch and some pillaging. Anise decided to lead the team raiding the local drugstore. She needed tampons and pads. Picking them out for herself was a small luxury that she insisted upon. Buck bowed out of joining her and instead, went to spend time with some of the younger kids.

Trolling the aisles, she listened to the other three women that had followed her example. She chuckled and picked out the packages she wanted for herself, stuffing them in her duffel bag. Others she plowed into the carts she was pulling along. Feminine napkins made great temporary bandages, besides their designed use, so were absolutely essential items to be stocked up on. Another survivor was running carts to and from vehicles, while people like Anise loaded them up around the quaint downtown. An efficient system had been developed over the last two weeks for plundering, it had become almost a game. She moved on to another aisle. Defiantly, she snatched up eyeliner and a few other cosmetics.

"Old habits die hard, eh?" A woman about her own age was kneeling in front of a Cover Girl display. She plucked out a makeup remover. Her eyes could definitely use it, Anise mused.

"Yea." Anise admitted and shoved the items in her duffel. "Wanna go see if there's any chocolate left?"

The other woman looked up, smiling widely. "Oh, hell yes. Barbara." She stood and held out her hand. "Call me Barb."

Shaking it, Anise responded with her name. "Anise."

"Oh." Barbara looked startled. "_The_ Anise Barrows?"

"One and only."

Something akin to hero worship entered her eyes. "Oh, my god. Really? Wow. I'm honored."

Raising an eyebrow, Anise appraised the woman. She was a natural red head, with tight curls for hair and freckles plastered across her pale skin. Overweight, with little apparent muscle tone, Anise wondered who was protecting the soft woman. Those gray eyes were staring just a little too intensely. "Thanks. So. Chocolate?"

Being reminded of the guilty pleasure had Barb smiling sheepishly. "Sorry. I can be such a fangirl. My boyfriend calls me out on it all the time. It's a good thing he's such a buff guy, he's had to hold me back a few times at concerts. I _love_ Creed." They made their way through the store to the candy aisle. "But I love him more, which is why I thought I'd find some fresh makeup and stuff. Keep something normal for him." That answered who the woman's protector was and it had Anise smiling.

The candy aisle held a small treasure trove. Anise snagged her favorite dark chocolate truffles, and they disappeared into her duffel. Barb picked out her own, while Anise filled another cart with the nutty and fruity candies, anything that had a modicum of nutrition. The chunky woman continued talking and Anise made responsive noises as she moved on to the real food aisle.

"Is there someone you're hoping to impress?"

"Huh, what?"

"Makeup. I see you're wearing some. Just habit, or someone out there you want to notice you more?"

"Oh. Right. Yea. Both I guess," sighed Anise before she shoved a stack of canned green beans into the cart.

"Oooo," the other woman squealed. "Who? I haven't had any decent girl gossip in ages! Is it that super handsome security guy? The one with the deep voice? If I didn't have my Paul..."

"No. No way. Not Morrison." Anise held up her hands, waving them as if to ward away the words themselves. "Ugh. No."

"So. Who? Tell, me. Please." Barb was begging.

Before the fangirl could drop to her knees in supplication, Anise spoke again. "You don't know her. Last time I saw Rain, she was heading to Detroit. That was almost two months ago."

"Her? Oh. OH!" Barbara seemed crestfallen. "A lezzie. Darn."

"Sorry." Anise muttered. Turning away to fill another cart, she heard what sounded like a dog barking in the town outskirts.

A nervous hand touched her arm, drawing her attention back to Barb. "No. I didn't mean it like that." Anise glanced over to the distraught woman. "Doesn't matter to me what side you bat for. I just hoped I'd found a gal to swap boy stories with."

Taking in the sincere expression and dampness around the eyes, Anise realized that the woman wore her heart on her sleeve. Anise sighed again. "No boy stories from me. I'll talk to you about other things though."

Barbara immediately perked up at the forgiveness, expectantly waiting for the story. "Tell me about your- what was her name again?"

"Rain." Anise repeated, then smiled widely. "But she lets me call her Estella."

They fell into a comfortable conversation, Anise talking about her petite Latina and Barbara squealing in delight. Barb was such a mushy romantic, falling over herself to get the juicy details. Talking about her Estella's romantic side and wanting to wait for sex really had Barb excited. When Anise spoke of how they met, the soft woman bit her nails, her eyes wide and squeamish.

At a lull in the conversation, Anise noticed that dog's barking had yet to stop. She stalled to concentrate and listen for anything else out of place. Familiar sounds had her adrenaline flashing through her veins. Shit.

"Barb. Get these supplies back to the vehicles. Warn everyone, there's infected coming." At the woman's delayed reaction, Anise snapped. "NOW!"

Barb unfroze, grabbing a cart to shove to the exit, yelling out Anise's command to everyone she saw. Anise jumped on the radio. "Zombies ahoy. Not sure where yet, but there's a fucking lot of them."

"Acknowledged," came Morrison's immediate reply. He issued further orders to the team, having them get people back in vehicles and on the lookout for an ambush.

"Fucking T-virus." She bitched. Jogging outside, she scanned the place again. Able to narrow down the direction, she reported it. "Morrison, from the south. Outskirts of town."

"Security team, you heard the woman. I want eyes on it!"

That dog was _still_ yipping away madly. "They're after that fucking dog."

"What dog?" He demanded.

Now there was screaming. Gunfire. Dammit. People were running for the meager protection of the vehicles, supplies left behind to save their skin first.

"Dog's with me," came Buck's voice over the radio. "I've got Denny, we're pinned down. Need help."

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Every single fucking day it's something else! Her angry mental yelling continued as Anise threw her duffel on the bus, picked up her ax, and ran at top speed toward the yipping mongrel.

* * *

It was still cold. At least the wind had died down a notch.

"Someone has to do something about that creature."  
"But what?"

"That little beast is going to get more of us killed."

Anise could hear comments like that all over the scattered group in the temporary camp. The last stop had been a complete disaster. It was too early to set up real camp, and too close to the last place. This was temporary, to reorder the chaotically gathered supplies; finish doctoring people, as first-aid now meant antivirus injections, not bandaging; and to get people back in their respective vehicles. Everyone was terrified, and every time the little creature in question yipped, someone flinched.

"That poor kid, he's already so attached to that dog..."

"Poor us, if we don't get that fucker to shut the hell up!"

"What about next time?"

The enhanced woman silently agreed. Lips pursed and eyes narrowed, she toed a chunk of gravel around. Her arms burned like a bitch from having to cut down dozens of infected to save Buck and Denny from the tool shed they had locked themselves into. They probably would have gone unnoticed by the hordes trapped in the school buses down the road if that idiotic dog hadn't acted like a fucking siren. Zombie football players were slightly harder to kill than the average walking dead and she'd been bitten twice. And when that big ass, infected bear crashed the party, well, it was pure luck she had lodged her ax in its skull on the first swing. Its claws could have easily sliced her in half, just like it had the shed door. Clenching her jaw, she focused on controlling her temper.

Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip.

More people complained, all of them quiet and not meant to be heard, of course. Not that Anise was able to block their whispers from her ears. Buck was with the kid and the dog, comforting Denny that nothing was going to happen to his furry companion. With a sudden growl, she kicked the piece of gravel and watched it bounce down the barren road. The dog was yapping again. A female commando spoke quietly into her radio telling Morrison there were infected coming, less than a few miles downwind. The dog's yapping was being carried directly to the hungry monsters. Anise let loose a string of violent curses. No one was stepping up to make a decision or come up with a plan to tame the mongrel's incessant noise.

She had hated creatures like it back before the world went to hell. They were annoying and usually vicious little ankle biters. More than one of the miserable beasts had bitten her over the years. Their owners rarely taught them to control their constant barking. Personally, she preferred creatures that did not bark, drool, and follow her everywhere. She did like the hunting dog in the convoy, it was disciplined, even tempered, protective, and useful. Most importantly it did _not_ put her friend's lives in danger. Or get nice people like Barb and her boyfriend eaten alive. Impossibly, her frown grew deeper and her eyes burned from the pressure of containing her explosive emotions.

Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip.

Her jaw squeezed tighter as she resisted punching her fist through the barn she was next to. Her heart pounding in her chest was encouraging her to beat on something. Hot and fast, rage and adrenaline rushed through her veins. She trembled from the immense effort of containing herself.

"We should do something, Sir." Another commando began.

"Dr. Brandon already gave me specific orders to let it be." Morrison answered. Anise couldn't believe the old bat's idiocy and hypocrisy.

"But, Sir, that dog is a danger..."

"I know. Keep tighter perimeters, add someone to each watch, and pray for a little luck." Morrison's voice held an edge of anger, endearing him a bit to Anise.

Yip. Yip. Yip.

"What're you thinkin 'bout, Spice?" Buck had snuck up on her while she was eavesdropping.

Her knee-jerk reaction had her drawing her arm back with a tight fist to lay into the intruder. It took an effort, but she dropped her arm, putting her white-knuckled fist back in her pocket. "I'll give you one guess." She spat rudely.

Blue eyes flicked in Denny's direction. "I'm sure it'll get used to us soon. It'll get better." His too confident voice betrayed him. Either he was suffering from delusion or extreme naivety.

Anise glared at her teenage friend. "Not soon enough and you damn well know it." The venom lacing her normally jovial tone caused Buck to wince. "That dog needs to go. Its going to get more people killed, and you'll probably get bitten. Again."

Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip.

"If no one else will take care of it by tonight, I will. One kid's pet is not worth the lives we've lost." She pronounced furiously.

Buck did not respond. His face went blank, and he looked away.

Someone else was complaining about the dog. The sentry radioed Morrison again, saying the horde was getting closer. They needed to leave within the next 15 minutes.

Yip. Yip.

"Kid, you better get that beast to shut the fuck up!" That sounded like Evan, a redneck they had picked up the day before. He refused to tell his story and his weather worn, old Winchester rifle never left his side.

Smack! Someone's hand connected brilliantly with someone's face, most likely Evan's.

"You will not talk to Denny that way, Evan. He knows the dog is his responsibility. Leave him be. Do I make myself clear?" The kid's foster mom berated the red neck.

Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip. Yip.

Buck turned from her and went back to the bus. Shit, Anise groaned, palming her face. She wanted a drink. Even tequila would work at this point.

"Time to move out everyone!" Morrison yelled.

Yip. Yip. Yip.

Swallowing her building rage, Anise pivoted and marched back onto the bus. Willing herself to not lash out at the first person who caught her eye, she kept her mouth shut tight, and her fists shoved deep in her pockets. She plopped into an empty seat far from Buck, resolutely staring out the window. A few infected broke through the distant treeline, heading in their direction. Her heart picked up speed again and her teeth ground together. She tasted blood and realized that she had been chewing on her cheek again. Fuck. It was going to hurt like a bitch for a while.


	18. Suffering Innocence

A/N - I know, not the happiest set of chapters... but I never promised happiness, did I? mwahahaha

* * *

**Chapter 18**

_**Suffering Innocence**_

The ragtag train of vehicles rolled to a stop in the middle of the empty highway. Vehicles made a half circle for camp. There was no real need to scout, everyone could see for miles across the Dakota plains and the nearby vehicles were all people-less, alive or undead. Commandos mounted the roof of the tall bus with binoculars and rifles. When the sun set, they would put on night vision goggles to scan the flat, open lands. The ride since the last stop had been creepily silent. Anise had refused to meet anyone's eyes the entire trip. After they exited the bus to make camp, she made a purposeful move toward the vehicle with the yappy creature. Buck jogged up to her side.

"If you kill that dog, I will never forgive you for it." His breath steamed in the brisk air.

Anise stopped mid stride to stare in shock at Buck. Really? "That dog is a danger to this entire fucking parade. Two people are dead because of it. You got bitten and so did most of the people who risked their lives to save Denny. It never stops barking. If we didn't have antivirus, you'd all be dead."

"We brought the cats. Denny should be able to have his dog."

"The cats have never put lives in danger."

Buck waved his hand, dismissing the matter. "You can't kill the dog."

There was no decision to make, really. It was perfectly clear to her what she was going to do. She was hesitating, hoping that her young friend would see past his emotional distress to be able to forgive her for doing it. Minutes went by, their silent staring match uninterrupted. Anise was fighting back tears until she heard that yappy little mutt start up again. Gladly, she allowed anger to replace her grief over losing Buck's loyalty and friendship.

"As long as you're alive to hate me." She turned smartly and strode away, refusing to look back. Not knowing if Buck would physically attempt to stop her, she moved briskly. Everyone she marched by gave her a knowing look, most of them were sympathetic and grateful, some filled with disgust, and a few, fear. Anise would do what no one else would take responsibility for.

Truly, she felt horrible for the young boy. He had been found outside a Denny's restaurant running from his own father and brother. His unruly blonde hair reminded her of Buck and his big doe eyes were full of fear and loneliness. Her teenage friend had bonded with the kid, and he was the only person that Denny would talk to. Now, he had that dog and he whispered to it quietly. Only that thought gave Anise pause, she feared that killing the dog would destroy the child's psyche completely.

It could not be helped and was a shame since it was really cute and fluffy. Just the little bastard's yipping was unacceptable, especially considering that the other two living dogs in their community rarely ever barked. One was a trained hunting dog and the other, a giant creature that occasionally chuffed out a low woof, not loud enough to travel far.

Her deliberate approach to the van in question was noticed by an older man who opened his mouth to greet her. Quickly, it was snapped shut as he took in her deadly expression. His eyes flitted between the child and Anise. The family that had taken the child in nodded at Anise silently, they would not stop her. Denny looked up only when she knelt next him and his tiny yapping mutt. His eyes told her he knew why she was there.

Anise allowed herself to soften, to feel the blow she was dealing this kid. "It's okay to be angry with me, I know this isn't fair. This is not something I want to do, but I have to protect what's important to me."

The child had tears in his eyes and clutched the furry creature tightly to his chest.

"Say goodbye to it."

She prepared herself to have to wrestle the dog from Denny. The small boy surprised her by doing what she said.

"I'm sorry I can't protect you anymore, Tony. Thank you for being my friend." His whisper tore at her heart, and she was once again fighting back her own tears. Denny lifted his arms up and placed the dog gently in Anise's waiting hands. He spoke directly at her, his voice clear and even. "Don't make him suffer." Then he got into the van and shut the door. She heard him start to cry.

Shuddering, Anise stood up and held the dog close to her chest. Strangely, the mutt was silent, looking up at her with big brown eyes. The family around the van stepped back to let her walk away. Deliberately, she marched at a steady pace from the camp. Running, though she would rather, with the dog would set the wrong example. She wanted everyone to know she felt no shame in preventing the tiny loudmouth from putting her friends in harm's way again.

The line of winter dead trees on the far edge of the muddy field beckoned. Her feet took her from the pavement to the fallow fields beyond. The snow had begun melting and the temperature had risen enough to turn the fields to muddy soup. Her boots slopped and slipped in the viscous goop. Mud sucked and pulled at her, making the awful journey even worse. Amazingly, the dog remained silent the entire way, the only time it had kept quiet for so long. She pet the miserable creature, and it licked her leather work gloves.

By the time she reached the trees, she could no longer hear the small sounds from the eerily quiet camp behind her. Around her, nothing except branches and brown grasses moved in the brisk wind. She risked a glance over her shoulder, no one had followed her. Good. She turned back to the small creature in her arms.

Tony's big eyes blinked and watered in the wind. Damn creature looked like it was crying. It whimpered when she knelt down and scrabbled to escape her arms. She wrapped a hand around its muzzle after its first yap and put the struggling dog between her knees to free her other hand. Anise took a sharp breath, placed her other hand on the dog, and twisted.

Snap.

Tony's frantic movements stilled.

She moved mechanically, grabbing a sturdy chunk of wood to begin digging in the sticky mud. A few inches down and she had to use her bowie knife to cut through the frozen soil. It was exhausting. After about a foot, the soil was no longer frozen, and slightly easier to move. The sun was setting and a single person showed up with a lantern, a sandwich, and a thermos of hot, sweet tea. The handsome commando offered to help as she downed the offering, and when he was refused, he nodded. Morrison left her to her work and took up a defensive position a few yards away, his rifle held ready in his arms.

Two feet wide and three feet deep took her hours. The woman only stopped when her shoulders seized from the awkward motion of digging. It had gotten much colder, and the temperature had probably dropped to below freezing. She rolled her neck and rotated her shoulders to get them loose again. Standing and stretching took longer than it needed to, she was stalling. Finally, she chewed on her cheek and looked over at the prone form of the dead pet. Tears pricked her eyes as she picked up the small body and placed Tony in the shallow grave.

"Sorry, little guy. I know it wasn't your fault that the world went to shit." Her lips quivered. "A lot of good things are dying now. I wish you could have stayed with Denny, he will miss you. Being alone is the worst fucking thing that can happen." Anise grabbed a handful of dirt and watched the clumps fall from her hands in the lantern light. She did that once more before the dam inside her broke. Sobs escaped her chapped lips, her tears streamed down and froze on her face. Both hands began shoving the dirt into the fresh grave. She couldn't fill it fast enough and began using her entire body to move the frigid soil.

It took maybe 15 minutes to replace the dirt that had taken hours to excavate. Anise stamped down the last of the dirt pile and collapsed over it. Her arms and knees were soaked in frozen mud. She was shivering violently, and sobbing her heart out. Time lost meaning as she grieved over the dog's grave for everything that Umbrella's idiocy had and probably would take from her. Her friends, her almost lover, her family that she assumed dead, her friendship with Buck. Above all else, she hated Umbrella most for the lost innocence of a little boy. When her body stopped shaking and the tears dried, she jerked herself to her unsteady feet. She picked up the lantern and empty thermos and began her lonely walk back to camp.

Morrison quietly moved to walk beside the woman. He did not ask her anything, nor did he offer anything except his presence. The mile back to camp passed without incident. They made their way into the group of dimly lit vehicles. Few were still awake. Those that were gave Anise respectful gestures and refrained from speaking to her. Sentries stationed to watch over the camp nodded at them. She automatically moved toward the armored bus, yet jolted to a stop a yard from the door. There she stood, staring through the metal reinforced door to the empty driver's seat. She turned away.

"You can join us in the Humvee." Morrison offered delicately. The security leader had not left her side yet.

Anise met his eyes. He gazed back steadily. Their breaths puffed white in the cold air. "Yea."

On the way to the military vehicle, Dr. Brandon stopped them and handed Anise a small bundle. "Clean clothes." The elderly woman patted Anise on the cheek. For once, she had a look of actual concern for Anise as a human, instead of an experimental subject. "Lt. Morrison, make sure she eats and gets a hot drink."

"Yes, ma'am."

Morrison led Anise to the Humvee and let her in. The front seat had a snoring commando in it. "I'll find some hot food while you change."

He left her and Anise slowly stripped from her muddy boots and frozen clothes. With trembling fingers, she stepped into the warm, clean set. She was starting to shiver again when Morrison returned with two bowls of spicy bean chili, buttered biscuits, and a thermos under his arm. They ate the warm food and shared the hot tea. The man pulled blankets from the rear of the vehicle and unlaced his boots to change his damp socks for dry wool ones. He wrapped Anise in a couple of quilts to keep her warm before curling himself up, leaning against the door, and closing his eyes. She watched him breathe for several minutes and then, she too closed her eyes.


	19. What's Become Of

A/N - Hullo there, my dear faithful readers! I apologize for my longest delay yet. Hopefully chpt 20 won't be so heinous and take me so long...

Anyhow, enjoy this! Oh, and btw: it was so great to see Rain kicking ass again in RE: Retribution!

* * *

**Chapter 19**

_**What's Become of**_

Umbrella commandos surrounded them. She felt the strain of exhaustion and terror at seeing so many black geared mercs bearing the hated logo. And Angie. Sweet little Angie lay in a puddle of red at her feet. Dead. Those heartless bastards had killed an innocent little girl. She exchanged a look with Carlos and then the same with Rain, LJ, and Jill. Oh yea. She felt the rage ripple through her veins. The dead streets of Chicago would run with rivers of Umbrella blood. She roared her battle cry and surged forward into a torrent of bullets.

* * *

"Fuck me!" Anise clutched her head as her pulse raced and skull throbbed. Whimpering in pain, unbridled rage, and abject fear, Anise curled into herself. "Why?" She brokenly whispered to herself, and closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see Morrison's sympathetic face looking at her.

* * *

"Are you going to start killing people now, too?" Buck was in her face, screaming at the top of his considerable lungs. Their fight had the entire convoy's attention. "The next child we pick up, if he's a little screamer and never shuts up, you gonna slit his throat? Where do you stop, Anise? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Anise quivered. His argument struck too many chords in her. Where did it stop? Would she kill a living person to save others? A child? Quite clearly, she remembered being ready to shoot Morrison just for getting in her way. "I.."

Buck shoved her, and she stumbled back several steps. "Who the fuck made you God? Why do you get to the make the decisions about who lives and who dies?"

Tears burned at her eyes. Her chin shivered, and she chewed the inside of her cheek raw.

"Answer me, you arrogant bitch!" This was the first time Anise had ever heard Buck be so mean to anyone, let alone her_._

"I don't know." She didn't. She didn't have a motherfucking clue what the hell she was supposed to be doing. The things he was saying had made her blood run cold. Was she capable of doing those horrible deeds? Was killing the dog really the right thing to do?

"How the hell don't you know? I thought you had all the answers, Ms. Rebel Leader!"

That was when Anise's spine straightened, her fists curled, and her eyes narrowed. Her voice, like her breath, came out in an icy cloud. "I've _never_ claimed to have the answers. And I sure as shit _never_ wanted to be a leader. You think you know how to lead these people?" She pushed at his barreled chest. "You think that you know what's best? What to do, what to say, how to act confident and unafraid, when to fucking make the hard decisions?" Her voice remained bitterly cool, but its volume had risen, loud enough to carry across the muddy plains. "Tell you what, since you're so fucking in the know, you be their leader. You make the decisions. You be their scapegoat and idol too. I'm leaving."

Her icy retorts had stalled Buck's anger, and his face froze in a confused, frightened expression.

Bitterly satisfied with his stunned silence, Anise stomped away to retrieve her belongings. She was done. So fucking done. All she wanted was something normal in her life again. She wanted the woman that had kissed her back in the Hive to hold her and take care of her, to keep the damned nightmares at bay.

With her anger driven single mindedness, Anise retrieved her duffel bag full of her favorite belongings, her ax, and extra clips of ammo. Neatly, she ignored the stares, the whispers of fear and confusion, and brushed past Morrison and the Doc alike. Her target was a nifty Jeep that she had insisted the group add to their collection at the last stop. She knew it would have enough fuel to get her back to that little town where she could refuel and resupply. Returning to Chicago would be so much faster by herself. She could...

"Anise!" Tanya stood directly in her path.

"Get out of my way, Tanya. Nothing you can say will keep me here another blasted second." She barked at her older friend, who blanched and took half a step back.

"No." The woman's voice wavered, though she stood her ground.

Anise really didn't want to have to hurt her friend, but as angry and irrational as she currently was, she was willing to dole out a few bruises. "Move," she growled, putting every bit of command and promised violence into her voice as she could.

This time, Tanya's almond eyes tightened, and her heart jumped into overdrive, yet she took a step forward, into Anise's personal space. The enhanced woman felt her blood begin to boil at the obvious challenge. Tanya stared up into Anise's face and spoke clearly. "Tell me how you got your scar."

All at once, like a popped balloon, Anise felt her rage fizzle out. Her scar, her oldest nightmare.

"You promised that you would tell me the next time I asked. Tell me now, you stubborn woman." Tanya pointed at the jagged mark. "Tell me how you got this scar."

"I was just a kid," she began, her voice colorless and strained. "Walking home from school. There was this bully, Mike. He didn't like me because I always stood up to him. Well, I had to cross a pretty shady parking lot to get home. He was waiting for me with a couple of his buddies. I was almost 15, gawky and had only a little muscle from helping Uncle in his garage, but the jackass and his friends were huge. The three of them cornered me.

I remember screaming for help, for anyone to help me. As I looked around wildly, a young man, probably in his early twenties, well built, caught my eye. He was sitting in his car, only a few feet away and the bullies hadn't seen him. The man met my eyes, but didn't do a damn thing. That was when the bullies started to beat the shit out of me." Anise took a shuddering breath.

"One of their kicks sent me flying into the old, rusty dumpster. My face smashed into it," her hand moved by its own accord to touch her scar. "Blood dripped down my face and my vision was blurry. The bullies were laughing at me. At the blood and pain I was in. I looked up and saw that man still in his car, just staring. If he had only gotten out of his car, the bullies would have run like the fucking cowards they were. One of them kicked me again, but when my head hit the dumpster again, I lost consciousness."

She stared at the ground and rubbed her neck. "I woke up in a hospital. Doc said that a patrol car had been driving by, saw the commotion and stopped. The bullies split the moment they saw the uniform, so the cop just called in an ambulance. Fourteen stitches were holding my forehead together. Bruised ribs, concussion, and I was blue and purple everywhere. I didn't go back to school for two weeks. Before I did, I stole one of my uncle's big wrenches and stashed it in my coat sleeve.

Everyone knew the second I returned to school. I had to face the stares and whispers. Of course, the whole school knew what had happened. Or they thought they did. I ended up eating my lunch on the bleachers outside, so I could be alone. Only I wasn't. The asswipe was tormenting some other kid in the shadows of the bleachers. Mike had his two goons with him too. The kid, think his name was Ruben, saw me, and I could see the same fear I'd felt in the parking lot. For a few seconds, I was terrified of what the bullies would do to me a second time if I interfered." Anise looked up, met Tanya's wet, wide-eyed gaze. Her voice up until that point had remained low, almost a whisper.

Steel laced her next words. "And then I remembered the man in the car. I dropped my lunch, leapt down from the bleachers, and screamed at the bullies to leave the kid alone. Mike started laughing, so I smiled back as I felt the wrench slip into my hand. He took a step forward, and I swung. The wrench clipped his jaw with a sick crunch. Until the disaster in the Hive, I hadn't heard anyone scream as loud and painfully as he did. While he collapsed to the ground, I glared at the goons. They took one more look at their leader before running away. I shoved the wrench back up my sleeve and offered Ruben my hand."

Tanya's hands had risen to her mouth as she continued to stare back at her tall friend. "Oh, Anise."

"I swore that I would never sit back and watch someone else suffer if I could help." Anise sighed and adjusted her grip on her duffel. "I don't know what I can do for these people. I'm not a fucking leader, Morrison and Buck can protect you from the zombies, and you've got plenty of antivirus. You don't need me." Her voice went back to a harsh whisper. "And I want to go back to Chicago."

Tanya reached out and placed her hand on her friend's arm. "Anise. Sweetie, these people do need you. Whether they want to admit it or not, everyone trusts you, looks up to you, and is willing to follow you. We need you to be our symbol of hope."

Anise took a deep breath and allowed herself to look into the worried eyes of the crowd.

Tanya's voice dropped to a whisper. "Please. Think of what could happen to us if you left us in Brandon's incapable hands. I don't think we'd make it to safety without you."

"But..."

"Don't abandon us now. What do you think would have happened if you weren't here to tackle that shark thing? Or to hold off the horde that came for the dog? Or..." Tanya trailed off.

Fuck. Anise huffed and cast her sight to the sky, where the sun hung dull and cold, hidden behind dark gray clouds. She closed her eyes, listening to the world she lived in now. People breathing and waiting for her answer, anxiously, like shoppers before the stores opened on Black Friday. She felt the change in pressure that precluded a storm. The wind blew frigid and carried the promise of rain.

Where they were at now was as good a place as any to wait out bad weather. They still had time to get some of the vehicles under the cover of the truck stop's huge awning. And to cover the other vehicles in tarps to prevent any ice from building up on the windshields. They had already cleared the area of threats, and the stop had a good line of sight of the region. It was defensible enough. Her eyes found Buck's silhouette. The kid was staring at her, but was too far away to read his expression. "There's a storm coming. Temperature's going to drop. We should get the cars under cover." Anise fingered the radio to life. "Morrison, get the convoy ready for bad weather. I gotta get my shit back to the Humvee."

"Yes, ma'am!" The spirit in the man's reply coaxed a rueful chuckle from her.

She finally turned back to Tanya. "I expect the chance to get completely hammered when we get to our mountain resort. And for you to make sure I do."

Shoulders relaxing and heartbeat slowing in relief, Tanya grinned eagerly. "Deal." She held out her hand, and they shook on it. Tanya turned to the crowd and hollered at them. "Show's over. Our resident crazy is staying. Go help prep for the storm!"

At least no one fucking clapped or cheered. Anise swiped a hand through her hair and trudged back to the Humvee, grumbling to herself the entire way.

* * *

It was dark, and the only light came from the flashlight in her hand. Clouds obscured the stars and the temperature probably hovered around freezing. She was walking beside the petite soldier, who was limping heavily. Rain's left leg was bound from knee to ankle, and beneath the coat she knew the feisty woman was peppered in bruises and bandaged wounds. The soldier held a powerful rifle at low-ready, and her neat braid was coming undone in clumps, with stray hairs in every direction.

"Just go." Rain whispered, her voice strained, her eyes disturbingly red-rimmed. "Say goodbye and fucking leave already."

"Rain." She breathed, feeling her heart catch in her throat.

"Say it, damn you." Rain barked.

"Goodbye," she choked out.

Rain nodded, once. She pivoted on her good leg and limped away. Hot tears streamed down her face as she watched Rain disappear into a dark doorway.

* * *

She woke up crying, and Buck wasn't there to pat her on the knee and tell her it would be 'OK'. Damn. Damn. Damn. Scrubbing a hand through her greasy hair, she suddenly found the closeness of the Humvee to be stifling. She threw on her coat, tied her boots, and burst out into the early morning. The storm that had drenched the land until sunset, forcing them to stay the night at the truck stop, was well past. No clouds were in sight as she looked up at the twinkling jewels of the night. Staring at the stars, she once again started to regret her decision to stay with the convoy. The fear and despair from the dream sat heavily in her heart.

Dreams about the RC survivors were impossible to forget, they were too damned realistic. Unlike most of her other nightmares, it felt like she was there, like what she was dreaming about was really happening. The sights, smells, emotions, sounds, everything was so incredibly _vivid_. Even hours after waking, when dreams would normally dissipate, leaving only a vague sense of unease, _those_ nightmares were more like memories. And she couldn't do a damned thing to change them. Anise ached to leave, to go find Rain and the others, to avoid being a leader, and to find out what happened to her family.

She sighed, and brought her gaze back to the mismatched collection of vehicles all huddled together. In the dim starlight, they reminded her of a documentary she once watched about the penguins in the antarctic. Without each other to keep warm, they would all die. She ached to leave, but she would not. Her decision had been made, a promise given. Anise Barrows would see the ragtag flock of survivors to safety or die trying.


	20. A New Look

A/N - Seems that my updates are getting longer apart. Sorry 'bout that. I'm not too thrilled about it either. I'd be much happier being able to post the 20 or so chapters waiting in queue... alas, other chapters must be built before you can read those pieces of goodness.

anyhow, sit back and enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

_**A New Look**_

Boots slapping against the water-logged pavement and pack of supplies slapping on her back with every stride, she was sprinting down the street. The brim of her hat kept the heavy rain mostly out of her eyes. Steady flashes of lightning supplied all the light she needed to catch the unmistakable red and white logo waiting for her at the end of the block. Her hand struck out and grabbed a signpost, whipping her body around to bolt down the alley instead. She slammed into a body and went tumbling to the hard ground. Before the lipless, colorless undead could snarl hungrily at her, she was already back on her feet, pelting down the alley.

A huddle of shambling undead blocked her path. Beyond them, a wall at the end threatened to turn her back. Not breaking stride, she leapt at the alley wall, took two steps along the slick surface and pushed off. Her hands snagged the supports for an A/C unit, and she used her momentum to swing and landed on a fire escape. Lungs struggling to keep up with her activity, she clambered over the rail and onto the makeshift balcony where a lawnchair and several crushed beer cans sat. An already broken window led into an empty apartment that she happily entered.

She took a moment to catch her breath and enjoy being almost dry. Seeing a box of her favorite flavor of Pop-Tarts on the kitchen counter, she shoved them in her bag, along with the very fine Ka-bar sitting beside it. Noises from another room scared away her smile. Out the door and down the hall, she ran. A breath, she hesitated at the stairwell. Up. She would go up. Her soaked boots slipped on the concrete steps. One face-plant and bloody nose later, she continued on up the steps until she came to an unlocked door that lead out to what was once a very comfortable rooftop.

Dead bodies littered the area, drooped over chairs, and a set of legs poked out from a huge meat smoker. A handful of dead started to move toward her. Grunting in irritation, she danced around them and made it to the roof's edge. Without much thought, she mounted the high border and jumped across the empty space to the next roof.

"Halt!" A woman's voice demanded of her from behind a large gun.

She responded with a bullet to her exposed neck. Another Umbrella soldier tried to demand her surrender with a barrage of slugs. Almost without effort, she dodged his primitive efforts and leaped off the building. Loudly, her boots collided with the metal of another fire escape. More bullets followed after her, sparking on the metal railings and ripping into the brick of the buildings. Another leap down landed her on the back of another Umbrella jerkoff. The commando's spine snapped under her falling weight.

The commando's squad jerked to face her, guns eager to discharge their clips into her lean body. Faster than its rivals, her faithful pistol unloaded its own copper cargo. Every slug dropped a soldier to the black cement. The unrelenting rain continued to come down in sheets and began carrying away the blood from the freshly dead. Stitch forming in her side, she grimaced at the sound of another Umbrella hit squad moving toward her position and kept going. Like hell she'd let some Umbrella fucks catch her now.

* * *

Anise wiped sleep from eyes, then used both hands to comb back her filthy, sweaty hair. Blinking groggily, she looked out the Humvee window to the dark plains. The crazy rainstorm that had kept them trapped at that truck stop was long gone, yet another system had brought frigid rain that still drizzled miserably, making everyone edgy and cranky. And every little tiff, brawl, and screaming match ended up with the combatants before Anise, someone demanding she make a decision or judgment or doll out a punishment. Apparently being a leader meant becoming everyone's bitch.

Sighing, she looked over at Morrison, who was lit by the yellow light of an oil lantern. The flame sputtered and flicked dangerously, but provided a little extra warmth against the bitter spring temperatures, so they tolerated it so close to ammunition. "Why do they think I can handle their problems better than you?"

Morrison pulled his eyes from the map in his hands. His eyes settled on her without blinking. "Because I look to you for answers."

"I hate you."

"Should I brief you on today's route and pitstops now, or later, ma'am?"

Narrowing her eyes at the sturdy man, Anise grunted. "Do it now."

* * *

Scissors in one hand, Anise stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked like something out of a bad 80's 'B' movie. Mismatched sports equipment, torn, stained blue jeans, bloody jacket, greasy hair, battered ax hanging from her belt, and a gun on her hip. With her free hand, she pulled her filthy hair to the side and eyed it disgustedly. Her other hand brought up the scissors.

"What the hell are you doing, girl?" Tanya's cry stalled Anise from using the scissors.

"I look like shit." Anise deadpanned, as if that should explain everything.

"We all do. Why are you chopping your hair off?"  
"It's matted, heavy, keeps getting in the way."

"You sure about cutting it?"

Anise sighed. "No." She lowered the hand holding the shears. "But, I thought that maybe I should start looking like that leader everybody wants."

"Butchering your hair isn't going to accomplish that. What's your real reason?" The lab geek brushed back a few stray hairs behind her ear, waiting expectantly.

"I look like a bad 80's horror flick." Anise complained.

"You sure do. What else is bugging you?"

Damn woman and her skills of perception. Anise sighed unhappily. "I'm not the same person I used to be and my outside should match the inside."

Tanya nodded and looked around the hair salon of the mall that the convoy was exploring. After a half hour of mowing down the undead scattered throughout the complex, Anise and Morrison had deemed it safe enough for the civilians. Teams of commandos made rounds to make sure they stayed safe. "Let's start with washing your greasy locks, OK?"

"There's no running water."

Rolling her eyes, Tanya pointed to the corner where a half dozen water jugs spilled from a closet. They were the kind that you plugged upside down into a water dispenser and were all full. "It'll be a bit cold." She shrugged. "Better than nothing."

After a brief glance around, Anise conceded. A cold shampoo would be better than her current state. "Let me radio for a security detail. Water in my ears and soap in my eyes won't be good if someone stumbles up and tries to eat you." Her friend nodded and waved absently, already moving to the water jugs. Anise brought her walkie-talkie to her mouth. "Morrison, send me a two man detail to the hair salon on the west side."

"Do I want to know why?" The man responded.

"Tanya's giving me a makeover." Anise could have sworn she heard laughing from somewhere in the mall.

"Jenkins and Berger will be there in a jiff. Over"

"Thanks."

Anise returned the walkie to its belt clip, hearing it buzz with the security teams' conversations. Tanya was already prepping a sink as the taller woman shrugged off her bag and unzipped her coat. Rolling up her sleeves, the lab geek perused the wall of products. "Let's see," she muttered. "Revitalizing, volumizing, for dry and damaged, dandruff control, for colored, anti-frizz..."

Anise waited until she could decide that the footsteps heading toward them were living people, then flopped into the chair. Tanya draped an apron around her and wrapped a towel around her neck to keep Anise's clothes dry. "Revitalizing shampoo and a moisturizing detangler good?" She asked as she tied an apron around her own torso. "They smell like coconut."

"Super."

Jenkins and Berger strolled into the hair salon, looking around curiously at the room illuminated by Tanya's lantern. "Hey." Berger greeted. The tall, willowy blonde woman looked rather comfortable surrounded by mirrors and hair products. Anise wondered if she had been a stylist at some point in her life. Berger was old enough to be in her mid thirties and could have all sorts of interesting stories to tell. The enhanced woman made a mental note to start a conversation with the blonde at some point.

Jenkins dropped the cigarette he was smoking and rubbed it out with his boot. He nodded perfunctorily. He was a lean, quiet man, of average height, who never spoke unless necessary, asked a direct question, or had an intense interest in a subject. Berger didn't seem to mind her quiet companion. She always appeared to understand exactly what Jenkins wanted to communicate through his silent expressions and hand gestures. They were an excellent team that rarely returned to the convoy with injuries or bites.

Anise nodded back, feeling jealous of the corn rows braided into Jenkins' wiry black hair. She allowed herself to relax into the chair, knowing that someone was there to watch her and Tanya's six. She stiffened at the feel of the cold water poured on her scalp. "Shit, that's cold."

"Don't be such a whiny little priss." Tanya scolded as she began to lather the shampoo in.

"Bitch."

"Oh, and I decided that you can wash my hair when we're done."

Anise huffed. "Why can't anything about life be simple anymore?"

The older woman gave her a pointed look. "Because you're Anise Barrows."

* * *

Tanya held up a pair of dark red leather pants. Yellow stitching emblazoned the many seams. A matching leather jacket hung from the hanger beside her. Underneath, something black and warm would have to be worn. Anise's trusty black boots would go well with the outfit. She balked at the idea of it. "No. I'm not a fucking vampire slayer in one of those stupid, dark romance, action movies."

"Try it on. Forget about the T-virus and zombies and Umbrella for an hour."

Growling, Anise tried not to accept the clothing shoved at her. Tanya's eyes promised hell for her if she didn't, so she reached out to touch the clothes. The leather was butter soft and immediately, Anise's memory took her back to days of happy shopping with college friends.

She had only worn leather pants once, and the saleswoman that had tried unsuccessfully to sell them to her, had gotten Anise's number. The woman had been incredibly delicious in bed. But when the woman had tried to bring to bed a leather collar, whip, and chains, Anise had run like hell. That was just a little too kinky for her. Some things, she thought better to keep classic.

Anise much preferred tight jeans to leather pants or cute dresses. On her own ass, at least. She considered what her soldier's ass would look like in those same pants, and a lustful smile graced her lips. Then, she wondered what Rain would think of her ass in those pants, and Anise grumpily accepted the outfit from Tanya.

"I don't even want to know the thoughts that just swam through your strange little head."

From the doorway, Anise heard Berger snicker. She flipped them off and stomped to the little dressing room.

Anise admired herself in the dressing room mirror. Her ass and legs looked amazing, showing off years of hard exercise. A woman that would probably step off a powerful Harley, with a hot little trophy girlfriend, gazed back from the mirror. Staring at her reflection, she could imagine that having her gun strapped on, her beat up shoulder bag, and bloodstained ax would complete the image of a total badass. Restless, she exited the little room and stepped out to where the others were waiting on her.

Tanya whistled. "Damn. You are one hot, sexy piece of woman! If I was a lesbian, I'd jump your bones right now."

A little taken aback, Anise could only chuckle and rub her neck while a blush heated up her face.

"I second that." Berger giggled.

Jenkins' eyes traveled up and down her figure. His face remained casually blank except for his eyebrows lifting slightly.

Touching the wonderful material and glancing at another mirror reflecting her super sexy outfit, Anise felt _wrong._ She bit her cheek, trying to figure out why.

"That isn't you." Jenkins' gravelly voice startled her from her thoughts. The women all turned to gape at him. "Spice, no amount of clothes will make you feel any more comfortable in your own skin."

The enhanced woman met his eyes before looking over herself again. She couldn't agree more. "You're right." Quickly, she began rooting through the racks. Judging by the sound, so was Tanya. Anise slung outfits over her shoulder before turning to the dressing room. Her older friend met her there with her own selections.

Several outfits tried on later, Anise was dressed in her skin-tight thermals, covered with stonewashed denim jeans, deep green sweater, and light colored khaki jacket. A cute, metal studded black belt was slipped through the jeans' belt loops, and then she clipped on her sturdy nylon belt with its accessories, ax, and gun. Thick wool socks and her comfy, broken in boots were tied to her feet again. Shoulder bag replaced by a small skater's plaid backpack. She snagged a black flat top hat dangling from a hook, with a pink skull and crossbones embroidered on it, and canted it jauntily on her freshly braided hair. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she presented herself to her waiting audience.

Their expressions told her everything she needed to know. But, Jenkins was kind enough to say it. "You look good." He gestured to her ensemble, "This is you."


	21. Hard Knocks

A/N - Alrighty, I've decided to call chapters 1-20 Part I. The minutiae of the journey to Haven was dragging the story down, and I was getting bored. No one wants that. So, Part II picks up after the arrival at the secret facility. :) Eventually, I'll go back and revise Part I to make it prettier. But working on Part II is so much more fun!

Many of you faithful readers keep asking for Rain, when she'll return. And I'm not telling ;) heh. But, when she does return, it'll be fucking epic and worth the wait. I promise.

Happy Thanksgiving! This year, I'm grateful for excellent friends, near and far ... and very far away.

* * *

**Part II:**

_**All Roads Lead to Rome**_

* * *

**Chapter 21**

_**Hard Knocks**_

Anise lay on her bed, having awoken from another deep, dreamless sleep. She wondered why, after having been plagued with dreams of the Raccoon City survivors for weeks, she hadn't dreamed about them, or Rain, in over a month. Her last intense dream had been bloody and full of dying Umbrella goons before she had hopped on the back of a big ass Harley and roared into the sunrise. As she had looked over her shoulder to a small herd of undead following her, the dream had seemed to fade out, like an old black and white movie. It was the oddest feeling.

With the last of those dreams, that other feeling of being constantly watched had faded too. Suddenly being alone was another oddity in her life. After weeks of being looked to for all the answers, sleeping in chairs next to smelly survivors, and then coming to the stupidly cliché-named Haven, screwed with her head. The established Council and security force had taken over all of her responsibilities, and had given her back her privacy with a freaking _suite_ of rooms to herself. That, and not constantly being on the lookout for the next zombie attack, she was still getting used to.

Anise scratched her head and examined the ceiling. The pattern of the rock above her head was starting to become familiar, though it still felt like waking up in a strange hotel most days. She sighed and rolled off the bed, deciding to spend her day exploring that tunnel she had found last week. Despite all of the wonderful amenities, like hot, running water, Anise felt like a prisoner again. Trapped underground with nowhere to go and no one to turn to.

Sick and tired of the Doc's, and the fucking Council's, demands that she stay within oppressive Haven and _not_ go gallivanting about the infected countryside, looking for Rain and other survivors, Anise had become a rather cranky woman. And bored. A bored Anise was never a good thing. It led her to thinking too much. Thinking gave way to doing rather unintelligent things.

Stupid things like being prepared for the insane adventure she had just decided on. She took care of her morning needs, dressed, tied her hair up with a band, and checked her gear. Then, from her stash of goodies, she made herself a calorie-rich breakfast. Belly full, she slipped into her pack and left her suite.

Quickly. and as silently as possible, she slunk through Haven, avoiding people's eyes and ignoring the greetings and smiles thrown her way. Avoiding her friends had become almost as natural as avoiding the idiots lurking in every well-lit cavern. Idiots that were afraid of her, didn't understand the dead world outside Haven's protective walls, and had relegated Anise to a freak show. Just her favorite thing to be. She growled to herself and slipped past a group of people bickering. The people from her convoy had yet to ease into the existing Haven community.

It was another point that rankled Anise's nerves. Her group of survivors were little more than refugees with PTSD to the people of Haven. Hell, Haven hadn't even wanted to let them in since they weren't family to anyone on 'the list'. Anise had to fight for her entire convoy to be allowed in, once again threatening to leave if she did not get her way. It had gone down like a bad pill to the people in charge, the Council, as they allowed her 300 plus haggard, stinking, haunted survivors into their sparkly clean, massive, full of all the amenities, safe haven.

Once inside, the people of Haven had made sure that the survivors knew their places. Custodial jobs, kitchen duties, latrine cleaners, and other menial labors were the responsibilities dumped onto their heads. Loyal Morrison had been relegated to a peon. He was given guard duties over things like the pantry, along with his crew of sturdy soldiers and Buck. The convoy kids were always getting into fights with the locals' kids. Only Tanya and the lab geeks seemed to have truly been received with open arms and open minds. But even the lab geeks were separated by their experience of an apocalyptic world. All things that Anise wanted to avoid thinking about, helpless to change them as she was.

Ten minutes later, she stood at her destination. From her pocket, she pulled one of her latest acquisitions from the storage lockers she was not allowed in. She eyed the spool of fluorescent cord in her hand, and tossed it up thoughtfully. Her gaze shifted to the dark passageway in front of her. Someone was calling her name, and the voice echoed through the halls. She was late for her physical exam. Snorting disdainfully, Anise rolled her eyes. She was tired of the exams and never ending tests.

Once again stuck in the labs with dozens of new faces aching to probe at her insides had really started to rankle. Almost two months of Buck blatantly avoiding her, weeks on the road and weeks in Haven, was torture. Being treated like a cross between a war hero and a rabid dog was excruciating. Still no word from her family or Rain was, without a doubt, unthinkably horrible, and a great reason to do something mildly suicidal.

Shining dully in corridor's dim light, a metal anchor from someone's previous exploration stuck out from the wall. She regarded it silently before she shrugged and looped the cord through its eye and tied it off. After readjusting the light pack, with its water bladder and emergency supplies on her back, she turned on her headlamp. The slightly unhinged woman tromped down the dark tunnel alone. Her bright pink nylon cord trailed behind her.

* * *

Spelunking was scary as hell. It was dark and alien to Anise. Mostly it was cold and full of narrow limestone passages and damp, slippery surfaces. At some point she thought she left the limestone behind. The rocks around her were different. Taking a break to look at a stalactite, stalagmite, whatever the term was for the stake-like rock pointing down at her, an article she once read came to mind. Sensory deprivation and how it could affect the mind. Suddenly, the walls seemed a whole lot closer and the dark even more strange and frightening.

The silence of the caverns and tunnels terrified her in ways that zombies never could. But, she enjoyed the adrenaline rush it gave her. Bruises from slipping and falling were sprouting like daisies across her body. Most would probably be gone before morning. She glanced at her pink line leading out of the bleak tunnels and back to her bedroom. It faithfully pointed the way back, and she grunted, plopping down for a break. After filling her grumpy belly, she put her head on her pack and closed her eyes for a nap.

After blinking the sleep from her eyes, she felt the call of nature and emptied her bladder into a container she had brought with her. She did not know where these caves ended up, if they dumped into a pure water supply, or something of that nature. And she sure as hell did not want to slip from a puddle of her own urine. Giving the warm container a glare, she made sure it was tightly sealed before stuffing it back into her pack.

Her journey finally led her to an amazing visual treasure. A sizable cavern opened above her head and sparkled as her headlamp moved. Gold flecks, in what she guessed to be quartz and galena, shimmered in her vision. Her sense of vertigo disappeared gazing at the gorgeous sight. Some of the crystal specimens were many inches long, and she desperately wanted a closer look. Getting into the above cavern was currently impossible. It was too far for her to jump and nothing appeared stable enough to loop a rope around. Sweat dripped down her nose. She smiled in childish glee.

"Worth it." She told the sparkly goodness.

Her watch told her she had been gone half the day, and her stomach agreed with it. Anise cast one last yearning look into the twinkling alcove so very out of her reach. She sighed and tossed her almost empty spool of cord to her feet. There was always another time she could scamper down to these tunnels to escape. She began her trek back to the facility, thoughtfully sipping her water.

* * *

Back in Haven, she snuck past sentries and a few labcoats. She almost made it to her private chambers when Morrison stepped in her path. "Spice." He looked her up and down, and his nose wrinkled. "You stink."

"Thanks." She growled.

"Take this." He held out a walkie. "For the next time you run off. It's on my team's frequency. Only we'll hear it."

Anise waved it off. "Don't want it."

"If you don't take it, I'll post a guard on your ass and rotate patrols around the caverns."

The woman glared at the man. A couple of his team were sneaky enough to accomplish his threat. Her loss of privacy would be absolute. She snagged the radio from his hand and jammed it into a pocket. "Happy now?"

"I might be, if you warned me before you disappear into the caves again."

"Don't hold your breath," she snarled. "We done here?"

Morrison's eyes swept over her filthy figure again. "If you want to talk, you can come to me."

"Right."

The man seemed ready to say something else. He decided otherwise and shook his head. "Take care." Turning smartly, he left her alone.

* * *

The next trip she made into the caverns did not go as well.

Anise tied off a fluorescent green cord to the same bolt and followed the pink one down, hoping to see the gorgeous cavern again. Several hours into her journey, she misjudged a short jump, slipped, lost her footing, and went tumbling down another shaft. The ground disappeared from under her bouncing body, followed by an abrupt landing that knocked her out cold.

* * *

Waking up miserable and in pain, her suffering increased as she immediately discovered that her headlamp was shattered and useless. She frantically dug into her pouch for the one emergency glowstick she had packed. With shaking fingers, she snapped the bubble and shook it gave off a sickly green glow. When she tried to stand, she discovered, with a crazy amount of pain, that her left ankle would not hold her weight. She fell to her butt and tried rotating the screaming joint. Judging by the sick clicking noises and truckloads of pain, it was definitely broken. She cursed miserably.

The narrow shaft leading up would be impossible to climb with her busted ankle. Hauling herself up by hand was out of the question too, with those too smooth walls and the thin cord that could never hold her weight. Wandering aimlessly would get her lost and farther away from possible help. She was screwed.

Checking her watch told her she had been unconscious for about an hour. Her head was pounding and sticky blood matted the right side of her head. She bit off another curse and grudgingly pulled out Morrison's radio. Turning it on gave her a bitter taste in her mouth. Static responded to her hesitant call.

Probably too much fucking rock between her and rescue, she groused to herself. "Dammit. Stupid fucking ankle."

Laying her throbbing head back on the cool rock wall she wondered how long it would be until Morrison decided to hunt her down. Having only been gone a few hours, she shuddered. It would most likely be half a day before someone went looking for her and then it would take a few hours to get to her. That was if they followed the right color cord too. She had no idea how far away from the other one she had tumbled. At least she had the spool still attached to her pack.

Six hours crawled by slowly. Her ankle looked like a giant eggplant. She had eaten and drank and relieved herself and done everything possible to keep herself occupied. The darkness was closing in around her, and the silence had grown deafeningly loud.

Checking the radio became a relief, just to hear something besides her own breathing. Shadows flickered in her peripheral vision and the green glow became a nauseating, pulsing light. Cold sweat trickled down her back as she began to see movements in the thick shadows and hear noises that could not exist in the deep, dark caverns. Alternately, she prayed for and feared sleep. What if she missed Morrison's call? What if the glowstick failed while she slept? Waking up to complete darkness again would probably destroy her sanity.

The cool stone was stealing her body heat, making her shiver in her sweat damp clothes. She tried to retreat into the memory of a comfortable bed and a warm Latina body curled up beside her. It did not help. Instead, it was depressing her and reminding her of the Red Queen and the horrors of the Hive. Suddenly, she was very glad that the glowstick was not red.

* * *

Another four hours slogged by. Tears had worked their way down her face and dried, leaving her cheeks stiff and eyes sore. Her butt, shoulders, and lower back had begun to pulse in tune with her ankle and head. Cold had finally penetrated her bones, and she shivered constantly. Teeth chattered in her jaw, and the sound echoed awfully in her ears. She screamed at the top of her lungs until her breath ran out. The echoes took a while to fade away, but they did. And then it was quiet again. Fresh tears escaped her eyes.

* * *

"FUCK!" Shrieking made her throat burn and her head pound harder. She kept on until her voice grew hoarse and unusable. Switching to hammering her knife hilt into the rock wall sent tremors through her body straight to her ankle. Her hand convulsed and dropped the knife. The overwhelming pain confirmed that the bastard joint was indeed broken. Broken bones would take at least a week to heal. Anise would never survive that long, all alone in the dark with her cranked up metabolism.

She flopped on her side, her head landing on her pack and tried to cry. Tears would not come. Her glowing watch told her she had been trapped for 14 hours, which totaled 19 hours in the caverns. She had officially missed three meals. Someone would notice her missing meals. If she was lucky, Lt. Morrison would come after her rebellious ass soon. At least her glowstick was still going strong.

* * *

Jerking awake was painful as all hell. Her muscles had stiffened while sleeping on her hard bed, and the cold had kept her shivering uncontrollably. On top of that, her stomach clamored for food, and her mouth was sticky and dry. She had been alone for 23 hours. Most of those hours spent cold, in pain, and just fucking miserable in general. The glowstick was a barely visible glimmer of green.

One of her nightmares came back with a vengeance. Umbrella operatives had chased her and Rain through a burning city. Infected people had clawed at their bodies, tried to take chunks out of them. They had gotten separated when a mutated pack of Lickers had given chase. Anise was left to defend herself alone. Again.

Faceless zombies bearing the Umbrella logo carved into their chests started climbing out of the shadows. Half-eaten children followed on their heels. Shrieking painfully, she tried to claw backward, but she painfully bumped into the cold rock wall. Heart racing, she fiercely blinked away the images. The Red Queen's little girl face smiled cruelly as she drank from a delicate teacup. Anise swallowed and shivered in fear and cold.

Mouth and throat aching for water, Anise desperately pawed through her pack again to distract herself. She knew it was empty, yet she checked her water bladder again, hoping she had missed a drop. It was still depressingly empty. Her last protein bar laughed at her plight. Eating a dry food bar would only make her dehydration worse. Her sluggish mind wondered how long it would take for her hyped up metabolism to kill her. Normal people could only last a few days without water. Anise hadn't been normal in years.

Bottles of water began dancing around the cavern, taunting her with cheerful smiles and silly jingles. The fucking bastards even started singing her name.

No. Wait. Anise snatched the radio from the floor and turned the volume up.

"Spice? This is Morrison. Respond, damn you!"

"Mor-," she rasped. Her throat was tight and her vocal chords strained.

"Spice! You pain in the ass. You got hurt, didn't you?"

"Yea." Relief flushed out the lingering hallucinations and made her a little dizzy too. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt ready to climb out of her throat.

"I'm gonna yell. Let me know if you can hear my voice."

She waited for a silent count of 10. Nothing except her own breath reached her ears.

Grimacing, she radioed back. "No."

"Damn. What color string are you at the end of?" Morrison asked angrily.

Anise had to stop and think. She could not tell what the color was in the pathetic light she had left. Her muddled brain grasped at her memories. Pink was the pretty cave. "Green." She croaked out. Fuck, she had turned into a frog and no princesses were going to come along and kiss her anytime soon. Worst luck ever.

"We'll be there as soon as we can. How are you?"  
"Shitty."

"Hang in there. I'll radio every 10 minutes."

"K." The radio was held to her chest. She refused to set it back on the floor.

Morrison was true to his word, according to Anise's glowing watchface. Every 10 minutes, he radioed to check on her; and every half hour, he said he tried hollering to see if she could hear him. Finally, after two hours, she heard the distant echo of the man's baritone. She shuddered in pleasure at the amazing sound. "Heard you."

"Just a little longer, Spice. You can do this," was his reassuring reply.

She swore she was going to kiss him the moment she saw his scruffy mug. The glowstick had ceased to be. Her only source of light was the miniscule glow from her watch. Another hour passed with Morrison's regular transmissions. She had begun hearing the echoes of boots and occasional voices. The rescue team was getting closer. Anise choked at the idea of seeing another face.

"Hey, we reached where the cords split off. You anywhere near that?"

"Fuck yes."

Only minutes later, the overpowering brightness of a flashlight bounced off the tunnel walls overhead. Adrenaline surged, igniting her tears again. After blinking repeatedly, her eyes gradually adjusted to the sudden light. She was finally able to gauge the terrible distance she had fallen. It had to be at least 30 feet. Anise was surprised that even _she_ had survived that kind of uncontrolled fall onto hard stone. A face appeared at the top of the shaft. It was in shadow, so she relied on the voice to tell her it was Morrison looking down.

"Anise. Good to see your stubborn face."

She happily flipped him the bird, radioing back. "Sup."

"We've got enough rope, it'll just be a few minutes while we send down Fox. I'm sure you won't mind a woman tying you up."

Anise smiled cheekily at his humor. Fox was a very slim woman, originally from Togo, and she was a medic. Her extremely dark features were striking, and she rarely spoke to Anise, and only when the cranky woman showed up in the infirmary. Her lilting accent and gentle demeanor was the only pleasant thing about the infirmary. Anise didn't know much else about her. Fox had already been in Haven when she arrived. Why she was under Morrison's command was a mystery. Haven's guard Captain did _not_ like to share. "Cool."

Fox was lowered down, and the woman efficiently slipped out of the makeshift harness. "What did you break?" Her smooth voice asked as she snapped a blue glowstick to life.

"Ankle and skull." Anise croaked out. Fox examined her briefly, then flicked off her blinding headlamp. Her almost black eyes glittered strangely in the blue light.

"Any other injuries?"

"My pride."

The other woman smiled and handed Anise a full canteen. "Careful. Small sips." She warned.

Anise nodded. She started by swishing water around her mouth for several seconds before swallowing and followed that by another mouthful and another.

A firm hand prevented her from taking yet another gulp. "I said, small sips."

Shrugging, Anise set the canteen down. She reveled in the feel of liquid in her mouth again.

"What's the situation, Fox?" Morrison's deep voice came across the radio.

"She's got a broken ankle and probably had a concussion. Dehydrated." Anise was taking another drink of water, ignoring the glare from Fox. "Stubborn as usual. She'll recover fine."

"Roger that. Get her ready to haul up."

"Yes, sir." Fox clipped Anise's walkie to her own belt and began slipping the rope harness around her bruised body.

"Careful. I'm delicate." Anise joked to cover the sharp pains from her ankle being moved, however gently.

The commando snorted at that. "Sure you are. Who the hell told you that?"

Her face fell. "Rain did."

Fox paused to look into Anise's melancholy eyes. Everyone knew who Rain was, and most everyone had a clue what Rain was to Anise. Haven's infamous celebrity was always a gossip topic. And Fox had once revealed she had worked with Rain for a short time under Umbrella's employment. "I'm sure you'll see her again. It would take a nuclear warhead to kill that woman."

"Actually, that didn't work." Her voice was surprisingly strong. Amazing what a little water and good thoughts could do.

The woman took the reply easily. "There, see? You'll be seeing your beau again. Now, I'm going to tighten these straps. It won't be pleasant, but it'll get you up and out of here."

"Thanks, Fox." And she really meant it. She clasped Fox's shoulder and squeezed lightly. "I needed that."

"You're welcome, Spice." Fox patted her hand before calling up to Morrison. "Ready to go, sir!"

The ropes tightened and began to haul Anise out of her personal hell.


	22. Fighting to Change

A/N - Hullo! I'm feeling the holiday spirit, so here's a chapter ahead of schedule.  
Squeeee :D

* * *

**Chapter 22**

_**Fighting to Change**_

Three weeks later, Anise stood at the tunnel entrance, staring at the bolt with its two colorful cords running from it. Her broken ankle was only another painful memory now. Memories that weighed on Anise, full of terror, pain, blood, lots of blood, and heart wrenching losses. Lonely. She was so very lonely. Fear and adrenaline were much better than feeling alone. Spelunking was not the answer, no matter how pretty that cave at the end of the pink cord was, she was not going to take that life-threatening risk. She had realized that she still wanted to live during her brutal hours alone in the caverns.

The problem was that she was not sure what to live for. Sure, she was still needed for the research on stopping the T-virus, and there were times that she helped out around Haven. Hope that her family still lived was allocated as another painful memory, to be ignored at all times. Her brother and his wife had been strong and athletic, resourceful, but so had many others. Most of them were dead or turned to hungry undead. Months out there, without backup, constantly scrounging for supplies and shelter would wear anyone down. Even Rain.

Anise could not quite bring herself to give up on Rain even though the fiery woman had no idea where Anise was and had probably moved on by now. And thinking about Rain being alive was much safer than considering the very real possibility of her family being dead. Pulling out a calorie bar, Anise sat down. She chewed the tasteless matter, despising it, yet saving the tastier stuff for people who ate a whole lot less. Food, electricity, water, and antivirus were all things that Haven did not lack for. Fun, hope, and a willingness to change were.

That Frisbee was still in her duffel bag. Anise paused her hand midair and closed her mouth. There was a big, open, partially finished, but basically unused cavern that would make a great place to play Frisbee. She wondered if Buck... No. She cut that thought off violently. Buck was still giving her the cold shoulder.

Only the cats seemed indifferent to their silent warfare. And the kittens, which had grown from the little puffs of terror to frisky, wobbling, playful bundles of big heads and oversized paws. Bruce happily stalked Anise when she showed up to play. She had to be careful or he would follow her all the way back to her rooms. Buck had almost yelled at her the first time that had happened. Until he remembered that he was mad at Anise and had merely given her a vicious glare and sniped comment.

Sighing, she finished the bar and washed it down with grape Kool-aid. Some things she still kept for herself, she thought with an almost grin. The facility had this underground farm that gave them fresh vegetables and some fruits. It even had a couple chicken flocks for eggs and poo fertilizer. Spices, alcohol, yummy things like Hamburger Helper and canned meats, extra clothes, and feminine products were all things that Haven would run out of. Soon. Anise had seen the storage lockers that supposedly held everything their dysfunctional community would ever need. The Council seemed to think that omission of truth wasn't exactly lying.

Occasionally, the Council would send out a scouting party. Their mission was to bring back anyone who had wandered into the area. Originally, that only applied to 'the list'. Anise, surprisingly along with Dr. Brandon, had managed to convince them that any living person deserved to join Haven. The Doc's actual argument had been, "We need to broaden the gene pool and reference blood samples. Humanity is on the brink of extinction. We have a duty to prevent that."

Not exactly Anise's favorite argument, seeing as she had no intention of making little Barrows, but it had served her purpose. The only downside was that interviewing newcomers became a new law. They had to filter out any possible Umbrella agents. A couple times, Umbrella loyalists had snuck in and tried to wreak havoc or steal information. Luckily, not one had returned to betray Haven's secrets to the remnants of the insane corporation. Nate was still a damn good shot with his rifle and had taken down the last two agents as they had tried to run from the mountain stronghold. Fucker had recognized their faces as he had approached, which had earned him the immediate respect of the security team.

Morrison had stood between the sick fuck and Anise, refusing to let her kill the sniper. The man had won himself several beautiful bruises for it. Survivalist bastard that he was, Nate stayed out of her way and eyesight most of the time. When they did accidentally run into each other, Nate's tongue would suck at the empty space where his front tooth used to be, before Raccoon City and Anise's fist. It satisfied Anise to no end after she had realized that Nate was afraid of her. She had used that to coerce the guy into taking turns on watch at Haven's main entrance.

Nate was not the only one coerced into helping out more. Andrew, the man whose family had owned, developed, and donated Haven to the resistance, had declared that Anise help prevent further incursions by Umbrella if she wanted strangers to still be allowed in. Since he was a member of the Council, his word was basically law. Anise hated having to help. The little flicker of hope that lit in her heart every time someone new showed up was crushed each time he or she turned out to be a complete stranger. Her radio, that never left her belt, buzzed as the security team talked to each other about an incoming group of survivors.

Wiping her mouth of crumbs, Anise stood and headed in the direction of Haven's entrance that she wasn't allowed through. Someone would be calling for her soon enough to help anyway, she muttered grumpily. Her role was relatively simple, working in tandem with a former FBI investigator who was trained in reading people. Anise's remarkable hearing could detect the minute changes in breathing and heart rate. She was an awesome organic lie-detector. The lack of an actual machine had acted in their favor so far.

Three Umbrella agents, and one homicidal psychopath, had been filtered out because they were overconfident, not knowing that the modest woman in the room picked up on their lies and fairy tales. After some serious brainstorming, the FBI guy had figured out the psychopath had been on the FBI's most wanted list too. Anise had been commended as a hero that day and promptly forgotten the next.

Some within the community thought it harsh to question everyone, even children, who entered Haven. Those were also the people that had not experienced Umbrella ruthlessness firsthand. They were listened to politely, then reminded that Umbrella's arrogance and general idiocy had created the zombies that ate their families. That usually stopped the complaints. When it didn't, Anise reserved the right to flip whoever the bird, and stalk away before she hurt someone.

Such thoughts kept Anise's mind occupied for her entire walk. Several stories up by stairs, she still refused to use the elevators, and the equivalent of a few city blocks away from the dark tunnel, she strolled down a corridor to a little room with a closed door. The sentries guarding it nodded politely and let her pass.

Three people sat in hard chairs, their clothes the usual torn, filthy garments that came from living on the run. Their gear was piled together against a wall. Faces full of hope and fear turned in her direction as she entered. Two strong men and one underweight woman looked to be related. Of Asian descent, they all had straight black hair, almond eyes, and a slight tan. Each had the same pointed nose, although the woman had her's pierced. They looked Anise over as well, questions flitting across their faces.

"Hi." She greeted Tim, the FBI guy.

"Hey." His soft tenor answered. "Now that we're all here, we can get started." Tim informed the newbies.

Anise slid into a comfortable position on an empty chair. She took a deep breath to focus herself and closed her eyes, slipping into her 'listening mode'. Tim did not introduce Anise, he never did at first. It worked better that way. Her silent presence was a tool he used during sessions like this. The enhanced woman did not pose a realized threat to most people. She wore simple clothes, basic gear like her radio, satchel, and belt knife, and kept her hair in a simple pony tail. She had a notebook and pencil that she scratched down occasional notes just as Tim was doing.

Over an hour later, Anise rose from her sitting position to follow Tim into an adjoining room. They compared notes on specifics that Tim had taught her to watch and listen for. Together, they concluded the three short-statured siblings were just another group of lucky survivors. He radioed Morrison to inform the man of Haven's newest. Reentering the room with the siblings, Tim greeted them.

"Welcome to Haven. My friend here is Anise Barrows, resident superhuman. She's been helping me evaluate you by listening to your heartbeats. Her blood carries an enzyme we turn into antivirus." The siblings' eyes grew huge as they reevaluated whatever their first opinions of the quiet woman had been. "She's pretty much the reason we're all alive today."

"Yea, here at Haven we all pull our weight. Everyone works, helps out, does what they can to keep this place running and keep people alive. You don't put in an effort, I'll personally throw you back to the zombies." Anise stated bluntly. "Understand?"

Several 'yeses' and eagerly nodding heads replied.

"Good. Welcome to Haven. See ya round." Anise turned and left.

Behind her, Tim was saying, "She's pretty friendly once she gets to know you. Seen a lot of good people die because of someone else's idiocy. I'm sure you understand that feeling."

"Definitely." A male voice responded. "My wife..."

Anise was already far enough away to lose track of his voice. She entered the dining area looking for a crunchy snack. The calorie bars left a dusty, fuzzy aftertaste despite their tastelessness going down. Grabbing an apple, she turned to look for an open table and ran into Buck's solid chest.

He still wore the commando's colors, or lack of, but he had long ago torn the SpiceKeeper badge from it. Ironically, the others still wore theirs'. Several of them were walking with him. Buck looked down at the woman that had run into him. Whatever he had been smiling about with Berger was forgotten as a deep frown etched across his young face. His eyes hardened as they looked into Anise's. She heard his knuckles crack and heart speed up. Muscles clenched across his body, "Watch where ya goin."

Appetite lost, Anise dropped the apple back into the basket she had taken it from. "Yea, fuck you too." She spat. Uninterested in anything further, she strode away.

"Excuse me? The fuck is your problem, Anise?"

She stopped, spine stiff as she slowly turned back. "My problem?" Her voice was icily low.

"Yea, your problem. You run into me, then tell me to fuck off?"

Voice laden with venom, she replied. "I'm tired of coddling you and your precious immaturity. So, yea. Fuck off, Gerald."

Around them, the buzzing dining cavern grew still. The commandos flinched.

"Bitch!" The teenager's muscles quivered as he went into a fighting pose. Anise let one foot drop back, and her knees loosened. A calm washed over her as she waited for Buck to either turn away or start swinging. Listening to Buck's racing pulse, she stared him down. A smile lifted her lips dangerously.

His rage spilled over, and he charged. Blind with fury, he launched himself forward to tackle her. Anise coolly stepped aside, and watched him crash into the floor. The teen was back on his feet in a heartbeat, eager to punch her lights out. She dodged his multiple strikes, letting him tire out. Weaving around Buck's wild punches was more than easy, as he was too used to fighting off stupid zombies and relying on his brawn alone. Fighting with Anise was an entirely different story. She kept up her basic combat training and had learned a lot from the brief sparring sessions with Rain and Carlos.

A fight was not even a good name for what they were doing. Buck's anger driven blows never touched Anise, who merely danced around his unimpressive attacks. She had yet to bother counterattacking, quietly hoping that her former friend would burn off his angry energy without her having to hurt him. The commandos were sitting back, allowing them to have their face-off. They only kept back the growing crowd. Rational thought began returning to Buck's flushed face, but his rage remained. His attacks grew more calculated, and he was putting his taller frame and longer reach to use.

Anise was forced to start physically blocking some of his attacks. She heard people begin to take bets on the developing fight. Ignoring them, she found herself enjoying the confrontation. Despite the nature of their interaction, she reveled in being around her young friend again and enjoyed how easily they moved together. Although the teenager lacked her training, he knew how Anise moved from long experience, and her simple instruction. He managed to land a solid punch to her kidney while she was distracted with thoughts of the past.

Pain refocused Anise. People had begun hollering at the entertainment. She could not let this go on anymore. Buck tried to press his advantage by grabbing her about the waist. Anise abruptly slipped around him and swept his legs out from under him. "Stay down, Buck. I don't want to hurt you."

"Fuckin liar." He barked before lurching to his feet again.

Anise was back in her half crouch. When he lunged at her, she grabbed his arm, shifted her weight, and threw the teen over her shoulder. She drew back, repeating herself, "Stay down, dammit."

Hissing in pain, Buck again hauled himself up. He flexed his hands, and readied himself to attack again.

"That's enough!" Morrison's heavy bellow startled Anise. The commando leader stepped in between the combatants and stared the tall young man down. "Buck, go to your quarters. You're done here."

For a moment, Buck looked about to argue. Then he sharply drew his bulk to attention, nodded angrily, and stalked away. The rest of the security squad followed him out after a gesture from Morrison.

"The rest of you can go about your business." The lieutenant addressed the awed crowd. Abruptly, the dining cavern grew noisy with excited conversations. "Now," he met Anise's eye. "You, come with me." The man strode from the dining cavern, fully expecting the enhanced woman to follow him. With a bit off curse, she did so.

She followed him to the giant, unused cavern that was apparently in use. A small group of people were being led in what looked like Tai Chi or something by a middle-aged woman. Upon their approach, the woman's eyes grew wide. She called out for a five minute break, and broke away from the group.

"Hello, Joyce." Morrison greeted the woman. "You told me that you wanted to help make Haven a better place. Is that still true?"

"Of course, Brad."

"Anise needs a teacher."

"Excuse me?" Anise snapped.

"Quiet." He fixed her with an angry stare, until Anise closed her mouth in surprise. "Joyce, this handful is Anise Barrows. I'm sure you recognize her."

"Yes. Ms. Barrows, a pleasure to meet you finally." Joyce held out a hand, smiling eagerly. Laugh lines crinkled around her eyes and lips, and her soft brown eyes were gentle.

Anise grasped Joyce's hand and shook it twice before letting go. "Hi."

"We, my husband and I, he's busy with the cleaning crews right now," she frowned slightly, "Joined your group about a week before you led us to Haven."

"Oh." Uh. "I'm glad I was able to help. Morrison, why did you bring me here?"

Again, Morrison fixed his steady glare on her. "Because you need someone to whip your royal grumpy-ness into line."

"You want me to kick your ass now, or later?" Anise growled.

Morrison ignored her sniping and turned back to Joyce. "Anise has an incredible talent for fighting. She needs someone to teach her more than I could in the martial arts. Along the way, I'm sure discipline and tact will get pounded into her stubborn skull too."

Anise turned to walk away.

"If you leave now, what will you tell Rain when you finally meet her again?" Morrison's baritone stopped Anise cold. "That you got the chance to learn how to fight properly, and instead of learning, you had a temper tantrum and stomped away? Or that you stuck it out and lived up to your potential?"

Oh, the man deserved to have her boot up his ass. That was below the belt, Anise complained to herself. She turned around and leveled her deadliest stare at the lieutenant. "I _will_ hurt you later."

Asshole smiled wide enough to light up his face. "After Joyce gives me your first progress report, I will happily spar with you, Spice." His smile stayed, even though his voice grew serious. "In the context of learning what she has to teach you, you will do whatever Joyce tells you to. Do this and I'll join you in your campaign for getting more scouting parties outside."

"Who said I had plans to do that?"

"Please, Spice, I've seen you come out of the storage lockers with that look on your face."

"What look?"

"The same one you wore as you pointed your gun at my head back in Chicago." Joyce made a little gasping sound, her hand coming to her mouth in surprise. "And the same as right before you took care of the dog. The one that says you're going to make things happen. One way or another." He finished.

"Oh. That look." Anise could not argue really. She had been thinking about pushing the issue. Running out of tampons would not be pleasant. That was a day she wanted pushed far into the future. And besides, if she could convince the almighty Council to start putting out more scouts, to pick up supplies and survivors, she could sneak herself into one of those outgoing groups.

"That look. One more thing."

"What?"

"If you want my support when you try to convince the powers that be to let you out into the sunshine as well, you're going to learn how to fight in a combat unit as well."

"Come on, Morrison. That's just cruel. I worked well with your commandos on the roadtrip here."

His face said he was not impressed. "You'll join my team for drills. Buck is part of my team and trains as such. I expect you not to make an issue of it."

Anise snorted. "No intention to. If he doesn't like it, he can leave."

"Good. I'll speak with Dr. Brandon about adjusting your schedule. I'm sure she'll see the benefit of you training with us. You have gotten a little soft since we got here." He pointed at her belly.

Indignantly, Anise lifted her hoodie and shirt to prove that... Shit. He was right. There was a softness there, instead of the sharp definition the hard journey to Montana had given her. "You kidding me? I'm gaining back the weight that I lost on the trip here. With my metabolism, I need the extra... " She trailed off, seeing the smirk growing on his face. Her annoyance faded, and she found herself smiling back. A real smile that even included a soft chuckle.

"I'm sorry I didn't do this sooner." He whispered, only for her ears. "I took you for granted, forgot that I was supposed to be your friend too."

"Really?" Did he really think of her as a friend, an equal?

"Yes, ma'am. I consider you a friend and damn lucky about it."

Her dimples would no longer be denied. They stood out brilliantly as her smile stretched and brightened. Her eyes lit up in a way they hadn't in a long time. It was good to be reminded that she had such a great ally in the guy. "Thanks, Morrison."

"You're welcome, Spice." His voice returned to a normal volume to include the patiently waiting Joyce. "I need to get to a meeting. Joyce, thank you. I'll see you around."

"No problem at all. Thank you for giving me the chance to help Ms. Barrows."

Morrison chuckled at Anise's irritated pout. "See if you are still grateful after a few weeks spent with her." He nodded at Anise before about-facing and striding away.

The women watched Morrison walk away before turning to look at each other. Joyce smiled hesitantly.

"Call me Anise or Spice. Not Ms. Barrows." Anise grated.

Joyce fumbled for a reply. "Oh, of course. Um. Why do the others from the convoy call you Spice?"

Anise took a breath, feeling like a heel for being so rude. Joyce seemed like a perfectly decent human being. "Ms. Barrows was what the AI in the Umbrella base I worked in called me. You know about the Hive?"

The older woman nodded, her body shivered. "It's where the infection began. Horrible place to be."

"Yea, it was. Uh, so, Buck gave me that nickname when we started using walkie-talkies in Chicago. Said I needed a callsign. It was before I killed a little boy's dog to protect the convoy. Dog kept barking and drawing zombies to us. Buck swore he'd never forgive me for it. He stopped talking to me, but everyone else just kept using it. Guess it's who I am now." That was a lot more than she had meant to say.

"Spice, then. I apologize."

"No, don't. I'm sorry for being such a bitch." Anise rubbed her neck. "So, what is it you're going to teach me? Tai Chi?"

It was Joyce's turn to laugh. "I could, though I don't think that's what Bradley was referring to. My husband and I had a martial arts academy before the infection spread. Tai Chi was just one of the classes we taught. We specialized in Karate."

That was a relief. Anise did not think she had the patience for the arthritis club. "Cool."

"More your speed. Speaking of speed. I saw you wield your ax several times and was very impressed. Your stance and movements could use some refinement though. A less bulky weapon would work better for you as well. Maybe a sword or staff."

"But I liked the feel of the ax. It works great to break down doors too."

"Stick with us and you won't need an ax to bust through silly doors."

Anise raised a brow. "I'll hold you to that."

"Good. How about we start your training in the morning? Around seven?"

"Sure. Sounds peachy. Here?"

"As good a place as any. I'll see you in the morning, Spice."

"Right." Anise watched Joyce return to her waiting class before deciding to return to the dining cavern for another try at a snack. Her appetite was back.


	23. Spare Parts

A/N - Happy Holidays! Whatever you celebrate, or don't, I wish you a safe holiday, and a great New Year.

* * *

**Chapter 23**

_**Spare Parts**_

"Spice! Wait, up." Jogging up to her was Foreman. Weird, she hadn't actually talked to the man since South Dakota when they had to replace a dead alternator on Jim's truck. Even though she saw him at every training session, they just did not speak. To be fair, no one really talked during training. The tension between herself and Buck was epic enough that it killed everything except muttered smalltalk. Anise paused to let the mechanic catch up.

"Sup, Foreman. What do you need?" She was polite, much more so than she would have been a few weeks ago. Learning martial arts from people who actually expected her to use it was thrilling and challenging. Joyce and her husband, Deon, were easy to be with, and Anise found herself looking forward to their sessions. Her outlook on life was perking up as she had found an outlet for her frustration and loneliness.

The man looked much better than he had on the road. Gone was the fear of death from his eyes and the puffy bags from lack of sleep under them. He smelled much better too. And his wounds had healed into jagged scars that matched his strong physique. "I was doing maintenance on the scout's Humvee and ran into a problem that I could use an extra hand with."

"Why ask me? Don't tell me you're the only one that works in the garage?" Anise joked.

"Actually, I am." He rubbed his arm in a fidgety kind of way.

What? "You're shitting me."

"No, ma'am. Captain doesn't want civilians near the vehicles that the scouts trust their lives with."

Asshat. Like anyone from Anise's convoy would deliberately endanger the lives of people going out into that horror-movie world. "I'm a civilian, Foreman."

Foreman's hand dropped from his arm. "No, ma'am. You ain't been a civilian since you signed up to be a superhero. If we can't trust you with our lives, there's no point in being here. Not even the captain could argue that very long."

"Oh." Hell, she thought, even she couldn't argue when he put it that way.

"Really could use your help, Spice. You're the best mechanic here besides me."

"You know how to flatter a girl." She deadpanned, which earned her a hearty chuckle from the man.

"My ex-wife always said I was about as seductive as a tick on a horse's ass."

The unattractive snort that escaped Anise's mouth got another round of chuckles from Foreman, and then, she was laughing too. Deep, throaty laughs, that had her eyes tearing up and a stitch forming in her side. "Y-you," she tried to breathe, failed, and started laughing again.

Someone walked by, looking at Anise rather strangely. Seeing the brooding freak laughing was probably a little scary. That thought sobered her enough to catch her breath and wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Dammit, man, my eyeliner is all smudged now."

He favored her with a little, self-satisfied grin. "For such a tough woman, you're kind of a pansy sometimes."

Anise growled playfully. "You're going to pay for that."

"I'm shivering in my boxers. See me tremble."

Giggling, she pushed at his bulk, forcing it to turn around. "Let's go before you dig yourself a bigger hole."

* * *

Walking to the garage didn't take terribly long, maybe ten minutes. They passed through enormous blast doors, at least ten inches thick with frightening locking mechanisms, guarded by two of Morrison's that saluted cheerily. Anise returned the respect with a smile and nod as she passed by, glad it was a day that Nate wasn't on rotation.

The two entered the huge bowl created when the engineers scraped away the insides of the mountain to make a courtyard of sorts. It was large enough to hold half of the convoy that had survived the journey to Haven. The vehicles had driven in, safely dispensing their passengers and gear before either retiring to the garage, or returning outside to be covered by a tarp. Little was wasted if it could be helped. One of the few things that Anise and the Council agreed upon.

To their left was the garage. Five large bay doors of standard aluminum sliding doors secured it. On their right was an armory, smaller than the main armory buried deep in the heart of Haven, though it still held an impressive amount of war and survival gear. It also housed the controls for the external perimeter fences, gates, and defense systems. A thick steel door and nine-digit passcode kept curious trespassers like Anise out. Most of the time.

She smiled to herself a little, remembering that one time, shortly after coming to Haven, she had memorized a guard's poorly concealed code entry and used it to sneak in the next day. The captain had been royally pissed and insisted that she be restricted to her suite and the labs, even having a guard bring her meals. He had soon learned that his commandos did not like waking up with pretty Henna tattoos. Evidence to prove that Anise had performed the pranks was non-existent, but he had still reinforced the guards that followed Anise everywhere. A week had passed, and then he too had learned how much he personally disliked being pranked while he slept in the safety of his chambers. Grudgingly, he had returned his troops to their usual duties and let the matter drop.

Past the armory, the curve of the walls led her eyes to the main exit slash entrance to their mountain stronghold. It had another impressive set of blast doors, currently opened to let in fresh air. Teasing sunlight filtered through the portcullis style gate that was kept down when the blast doors were open. The silhouettes of three guards, under the captain's strict command, stiffened when they noticed the enhanced woman and the mechanic. Anise had tried to leave a few times, and each time she was sharply rebuffed, though what really kept her inside was her unwillingness to severely injure the brave guards blocking her way.

Anise's eyes fixed on the sunlight coming in from the outer doors. Her fingers stretched to touch it, and her torso twisted in its direction. With a foot half off the ground, to push her toward the exit, Foreman's strong grip halted her movement.

"I want out too. So badly. I've been craving barbeque, sunlight, and mosquitoes since I realized that the Fourth of July was a week ago." He aimed her away from the sunlight.

"Nothing like a cloud of sulfur to celebrate independence, huh?" Anise quipped.

"I guess there's no point in observing holidays about a country that no longer exists."

"There's still New Year's Eve. And someone's been distilling moonshine. There's not a chance in hell that I'll let the Council forget people need to drink and be merry sometimes." Anise frowned. "I could live without Valentine's Day though."

Foreman chuckled. "There is that." He opened a bay door and flipped on the lights.

Seeing the couple dozen vehicles resting quietly under the fluorescent lighting caused a sudden wave of emotion that surged up Anise's throat. She bit her cheek to keep the sob inside. The blood on the cars had not been cleaned off and probably never would be. So many had not made the trip. It made her wonder why Umbrella had not stormed Haven yet, as the corporation obviously knew where it was. Haven's defenses worked fine against the usual walking dead and even some of the mutations, like the Lickers. Experienced soldiers with big guns were an entirely different matter.

Thinking about that made her skin crawl. Anise shook her head and forced herself to smile at Foreman, who looked like he might be thinking along the same lines. "Alright, what the fuck did you need my help with?"

* * *

They worked together with jokes and friendly arguments until the wrench in Anise's hand bent as she was trying to loosen a particularly stubborn bolt. She grunted in annoyance, tossed the thing into a bin for trash, and moved to the tool cabinets.

Still not finding a replacement five minutes later, she griped at her companion. "Don't tell me that was your only three quarters wrench?"

Foreman rolled out from under the vehicle. "What did you do to it?"

"Bent it. Cheap tool. Someone must've pick that shit up at Walmart."

Foreman slapped a hand to his face and groaned. A streak of dirt from brow to chin was left behind. "Unless you find one hidden somewhere, yes, that was the only one."

Anise slammed the metal door to the cabinet shut. It clanged angrily in protest. "You're fucking kidding me, Foreman."

"No. I wish I was. Same story with a lot of the tools around here." He groaned again.

"What the hell is wrong with these people? Leaving the _only_ mechanic with a major fucking tool shortage?"

"It's not the scouts' fault. They try, but there's only so much room in a Humvee."

"With a team of five, someone could take that U-haul and a Jeep and empty that little town's auto shop and garages."

"You're right. They could. Especially if you led it."

"Well, duh. I..." And then she realized that Foreman was smiling. "You wanted me to figure out your tool shortage."

Bastard had played her like a common mark. "Yes, ma'am."

Growling and running a greasy hand over her mussed hair, Anise glared at the man. "Make a list. Give it to Morrison. I'll see that it gets filled."

"Yes, ma'am!" He grinned eagerly and watched her march out of the garage.

* * *

She made her way to the labs. Innocently, she ignored the questioning looks from the researchers and ducked past Dr. Brandon's office without incident. At Tanya's workstation, she stalled and waited for her friend to notice her presence. The Asian kept staring at her files, not seeming to notice the mischievous woman grinning at her. Anise leaned over and read some numbers pertaining to white blood cells. Rolling her eyes at Tanya's tunnel-vision, she leaned closer and when her mouth was next to an ear, Anise spoke just a wee bit loudly.

"Boo."

Papers went flying and Anise narrowly avoided a flailing arm as Tanya flipped her chair over and fell to the ground, shrieking. "Waaa!"

Richard, a portly researcher with a terrible comb-over, chuckled at another desk, which started the whole office laughing. Anise had to bend over and grab her knees, she was laughing so hard.

Tanya fisted the papers still in hand and got up, whacking Anise with the bundle as she stood. "Dammit, you little brat. What the hell did I do to deserve you in my life?"

Still laughing, Anise fended off the paper weapon with her hands. "And here I showed up to do you a favor."

The paper stalled on its next attack. "Favor?" Tanya narrowed her already narrow eyes, making her seem even more paranoid of Anise's offer than usual.

"A favor." Anise grinned like a feline, all innocent and fluffy lies, and put her mouth next to Tanya's ear again. "Make a list of what you need from the outside world. Get it to Morrison."

A gasp escaped Tanya. Anise moved out of her personal bubble to gather some of the stray files and charts. Tanya's hand, still holding papers, jumped to her mouth. A moment, and then Tanya's smile appeared around the edges of the bundle. "It's about time."

"Yea, yea." The prankster shoved the pile of collected papers at her friend.

"When?"

Anise shrugged and looked back up. "Dunno. Just decided to get something done like, ten minutes ago."

"What was the catalyst?" Tanya asked.

"A bent wrench."

"Wrenches are made out of steel, aren't they?"

"Sometimes."

Tanya fish-mouthed. "And I thought that Rain was the strong one."

Waving a hand dismissively, Anise shook her head. "Cheap tools bend easily enough. Anyone with mechanic experience could tell you that."

"Oh."

"What in the world is going on in here?" The Doc's cranky shrill interrupted their banter, and the lab geeks' lingering chuckles and soft conversations stopped abruptly.

Anise turned around.

"Anise. What a surprise to see you here." Dr. Brandon pursed her wrinkled lips. "Voluntarily."

"I'm not in the labs. It's your imagination." The cheery woman gave Tanya a little wave and skipped away, ignoring the Doc's grumbling. "Later."

* * *

Joyce was not teaching an afternoon Tai Chi class like she usually was. Instead, Deon was there. Seeing Anise, the friendly husband grinned and gestured for an advanced student to continue leading the movements. An elderly woman, in a faded Harvard sweatshirt, stepped into his empty spot. Louise smiled on seeing Anise, creasing her wrinkles and laugh lines around her eyes, making her look like a human prune. She was a sweet old lady that was a genius in physics. The woman had degrees out her ears and awards up to her nose, which was why she had landed a place in Haven.

Gotta save the brains from the zombies, someone had once joked. Haven was full of obnoxiously brilliant people. And the rich elite who had funded much of the resistance. Louise was the oddball, brilliant, though not elitist about it. She refused to be called by Dr. Waters. "Simple Louise will be fine, dear." She had said upon first meeting Anise.

Sometimes, when Louise wasn't arguing with the resident engineers, she would come watch Anise train and comment on her momentum or inertia, or kinetic something that Anise didn't understand. Her old lady fro, gray, speckled with white and black, would bob as she shook her head at Anise's blank looks. Louise would smile softly and translate her physics garble into simpler English. "Annie, tighten your movements, control your speed, and you won't fall over like a dummy." The enhanced woman put up with the girly nickname, only because Louise used it with grandmotherly affection and a kind spirit. And she was old and very cool.

Anise smiled back at Louise, giving her a wave hello. She turned to the approaching man. "Hey."

"Spice." He gave her a fist bump. "What's goin on?"

"Making a list. Checking it twice."

He gave her a confused chuckle, dark brows knitting together. "Excuse me?"

"I need a tan and Haven needs goodies."

"Huh?"

Anise raised an eyebrow. Man wasn't that dense. Was he?

"You serious?"

Oh, good. He wasn't. "Like white on rice."

"Your euphemisms could use some work." Deon said.

"Bite me. Essentials and top priority luxuries. Get your list to Morrison."

"Deadline?"

Dammit. She didn't have a clue. "Not sure."

"Spur of the moment, huh?" His flat lips crooked up on one side.

"Kind of. Yea."

"Who should I let know that they can provide a list?"

"For now, as few as possible. Keep it in the family. I don't want a bagillion people running to the good lieutenant with lists. You and Joyce, collect, sort, deliver. And I'll deal with the Council. Somehow. Where is she, anyway?"

"Home. She was up late last night, fretting over stuff. Started with her favorite scrunchie falling apart. Then, she started going on about how things would eventually get used up, Haven's kids would need clothes, shoes, and hell, guess she won't have to worry about that stuff anymore." Deon's smile stretched from ear to ear. "She'll be thrilled to hear you're already doing something about it."

Anise scratched her neck. "Good. Well, I've got places to go, people to see."

"Good luck, Santa."

Chuckling, she fist bumped with him again, feeling his wedding ring rap her knuckle.

For a moment, she was stupidly jealous that he had someone to wake up to in the mornings. It was pushed aside quickly, Anise refused to linger in self-pity any more. There were more important things to worry about than her non-existent love life. Like sunshine and smashing in the zombie heads that got between her and her next can of Campbell's Chunky soup. She smiled and dropped her voice as low as possible. "Ho. Ho. Ho."


	24. Bubbles

A/N - 2013, wow. So, I dedicate this chapter to Air and Water. May your pitchforks rot and your torches sputter out. Retro is SO overrated.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

_**Bubbles**_

Anise and Morrison had been hashing out the details of approaching the Council for days. Only a handful of people outside his team knew of the plan. It was only a matter of time before the cranky fools heard of her plans, and she needed to approach them before that happened. She wanted to flat out tell the Council the way it was going to be, while Morrison argued for a more tactful approach. Tired of the useless, circular argument, Anise left, found Tanya, and dragged her friend to lunch.

Denny walked up to Anise while she was eating a vegetable stew. "Has he apologized yet?" The kid asked without preamble, startling her, spoon halfway to her mouth.

"Uh?"

"Buck. Has he apologized to you yet?" Denny repeated, his young voice just as strong as the day Anise had killed the dog.

"No. Why would..." He had already walked away, a deep frown marring his little boy features.

"What the cheese just happened?" Anise asked Tanya while pointing with her spoon at Denny's retreating form. Stew dripped from it.

Just as confused, Tanya shook her head. "No idea." She gestured at the empty seat with little droplets of goop on it. "Clean that up."

* * *

Practice the next day was in the gym, where the padded mats were. An hour in, little Denny trotted straight up to their group, ignoring the looks from Morrison, Anise, and the others that had caught sight of him. He moved purposefully toward Buck, who was busy sparring with Jenkins. Anise had easily convinced Morrison to start including sparring in their training sessions. So far, the team seemed to be enjoying the change of pace and chance to sweat out frustrations. She wondered what Denny was doing in the gym. Kid should be somewhere else. Right? Before the boy could be injured, Morrison hollered at the guys to come to attention.

Denny slowed to a walk and gave Morrison an official looking nod before stopping an arms length from Buck. They frowned at each other. Denny kicked him squarely in his left shin.

"Ow!" Buck barked, alarmed and surprised by the ferocity in Denny's actions. "What the heck, bro?"

Eyes narrowed, Denny swung his leg again, though Buck hopped away to avoid more pain. "You haven't apologized yet."

"What?" His gaze switched to Anise for a second. "Oh."

"Don't you 'oh' me, mister." Denny was furious, stabbing a finger at Buck's head, several feet above his own. "It's my birthday, and you promised." He stamped his foot.

"Look, bud, I'm sorry."

Another swift kick in the shin responded to that.

"Shit!"

Muffled chuckles from the commandos caught Denny's attention.

"This is no laughing matter. Buck broke a promise."

Smartly, everyone cleared their faces to be completely serious. Except Buck. The teen looked torn between humiliation and fear.

"Well, Buck. Are you going to make good on this promise, or should I leave your punishment to young Mr. Denny?" Morrison fixed his youngest teammate with a blue ribbon prize-winning glare.

"No, sir. I mean, yes, I'll do it, Denny."

"Good. Now."

"But..."

Denny rolled his eyes. With one hand firmly tugging on a very reluctant Buck, he marched them up to Anise. "Hi, Spice."

Anise was confused as all hell. Why was Denny involving himself in their fight? The kid was supposed to hate her or something. She had _murdered_ his dog. And when had he started talking to people anyway? "Happy birthday?"

"Thanks." Favoring her with a winning smile, he pinched Buck without looking at him.

The teen sighed and ran a hand through his chin-length hair. Anise made a mental note to tell him that he needed a haircut. "Anise."

"Gerald."

"I hate that name."

"I like my name just fine."

He glared at her.

She glared right back.

Denny punched Buck in his thigh.

"Ow." Buck whined and lost the brief staring match with his pint-sized double. He tried looking at Anise again. "Spice."

"Buck." She lifted a brow.

Scuffing his boot on the floor, Buck looked everywhere except at Anise. "Back on the road, you did the best you could. I doubted you and left you when you needed me the most." He grit his teeth and met Anise's gaze. "Sorry I was an idiot. Can we be friends again?"

Too excited to consider making the kid squirm, Anise grinned a stupidly silly smile. "It's about time, you pain."

Denny punched Buck again. "Ow, ow, ow! Now what?"

"Hug her, dummy."

"Oh." So, he did. He wrapped his tree trunk arms around Anise and lifted her off the ground.

Being crushed to his warm chest, breathless and slightly pained, Anise couldn't have been happier. She was slightly disappointed to feel her feet on the stone again, though her smile remained just as brilliant. With effort, she broke away from Buck to look at Denny. "It's your birthday, but I feel like I just got Christmas and _my_ birthday gift. What gives, little guy?"

"I couldn't have my two heroes fighting. It wasn't cool."

"I...? Hero?"

Morrison clapped Anise on the shoulder. "You're an oblivious idiot at times, ma'am. Get over it."

Anise gaped in shock while the group of trained commandos fell over themselves laughing like schoolchildren. She sputtered incoherently before she found something to say. "Denny, you like playing Frisbee?"

"Oh, yea. My dad got me one for my last birthday." His bright smile faded for a second before reigniting. "You have one?"

"Sure do. Found one the day we found Thrifty. My dad used to play with me too." Anise looked around at the commandos. She focused on Morrison. "Practice is over. We're celebrating Denny's birthday today."

"Yes, ma'am!" The team responded in unison. Fuckers looked overly eager to follow her orders again. Her eyes narrowed.

After a long-suffering sigh, Anise poked Buck. "Race you to my suite."

The teen looked at Denny first, who nodded. "I'm okay here."

Buck took off, laughing as Anise cursed and scrambled to catch up. They bolted down the corridors, dodging people, the occasional animal, and crates that seemed to appear in their way. A lab geek stepped in front of Buck and they went tumbling down, files and limbs flying everywhere. Anise leapt over the two, almost colliding with Tanya and her hot cup of tea.

"Watch it, woman!" Tanya cried.

"Sorry!" Anise yelled over her shoulder.

Tanya griped about children and time outs. Anise was around the corner, almost to the barracks wing.

She slapped her hand to her door, victorious. Several thumping heartbeats later, Buck stumbled to a halt, sweat dripping down his cheeks. "Damn."

In her room, she burrowed through her closet, looking for her battered duffel. Finding it with a triumphant 'yea buddy', she heaved it to her bed. As she dug through it, she spoke softly. "Why'd you stop talking to me?"

Buck was quiet for a moment, she could hear him scratch his chin as his heartbeat increased. "You've changed, Spice." A breath and sigh that had Anise nodding and biting her lip. "So have I. Didn't know if I could handle it. Didn't know if any of it was good or bad or whatever. You were my only real friend for so long, I didn't have anyone else to talk with about everything. Killing Tony was," Buck paused. "It was something I didn't understand at the time, wasn't ready to accept."

Anise turned to look at him. "You had already seen so much death, helped me beat the tar out of Umbrella agents, saw me threaten Morrison. You didn't say anything then. What was different about the dog?"

"Tony was an innocent. Collateral damage. It was like everything had suddenly become too real, too vivid, too much." Buck gestured widely. "And Denny was more upset that it was going to darken your soul than about his puppy dying so he would live."

"What? Repeat craziness, please."

A little smile appeared at Anise's odd phrase. "Denny is a really kind, compassionate, very smart little guy."

"But, he was afraid for my fucking soul?" Anise could not get over that.

"The kid had already accepted this stupidly awful new world as real and, and, and," He twirled his hand, looking for the right word to say. "Forever. No more normal. He was upset that someone as brave and loving as you had to become so dark to survive. Denny thinks you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Since day one."

"Kid never spoke to me!" No way. Buck had to be fibbing.

Buck sat down on her bed. "He was in idol-awe. Hero worship can be a little overwhelming."

Anise gaped.

"Your bed is better than mine."

Anise continued to gape.

Buck bounced lightly and flopped backward. "Do you have your own bathroom too?"

Anise sputtered. "H-hero worship?"

"Yep." The teen sat up, gave a little laugh and strolled past her, to her open closet. He whistled. "Damn. Walk-in closet. Must be nice to be a celebrity."

"Why didn't you tell me Denny thought I was all that and a bag of chips?" She followed her friend as he ambled into her bathroom, just off her bedroom.

"Nice. Soaking tub. Bidet. Shower. Like a classy freaking hotel. You have all the luck."

"Buuuck."

"He asked me not to tell you until he was ready." He turned to look at her. "I'm coming over later to use your tub. Haven't soaked in a bath in months. You got bubbles?"

Anise rubbed her forehead. "Yes. I have some bubbles left. You're such a girl. "

Throwing an arm around her shoulders, Buck chuckled. "One of us should be. Let's go play Frisbee with your second biggest fan."

"Who's number one?" Anise looked up, curious. "Don't tell me it's Morrison or the Doc."

"No. Me, dumbass."

"Oh. Cool." Her smile was silly and a little teary. She blinked as a thought drifted through her mind. "Don't call me a dumbass, jerk."

Buck ducked away before her elbow could connect with his gut. Hand on the door, he grinned toothily. "Race you back."

And he was running, with Anise bitching about kicking his ass, right behind him.

Before they reached the gym again, Anise slipped beside Buck and shoved him to the side. Panting, she kept him pinned to the cool stone until she could talk. "You got my back still, right?"

"You want me to stand up to the Council with you, right?"

Kid still knew her like the back of his hand. She could admit to herself how much she needed her sidekick back. "Yep."

"Coward."

"Realistic. People like you more than me." She parried.

Buck smiled. "I've got your six."

"Nerd."

"Well-versed." He retorted.

"Whatever. Let's gather up our goons and go to the field for some Frisbee fun."

"Field?"

Anise gestured down the corridor. "That big cave that almost no-one uses."

"The Tai Chi hall?"

"Yea. I'm calling it the field now."

Buck giggled. "Naming things. What the heck do you think you are? Important?"

"Someone besides you can name things, you know."

He snorted. "You gonna find some astro turf for it too?"  
Anise tapped her lips with her right pointer finger. "Not a bad idea. We could use a playground too. Eventually, the small people population will explode. Huh. I wonder if Morrison has his eye on any of the ladies. He'd make cute babies, and a lot of the women slobber over him." She pursed her lips and rubbed her neck. "Fuck, I hope it's not me."

"The LT is gay, Spice."

Jaw hanging loosely, Anise found herself staring at Buck in complete shock again. "Seriously?"

"You're so oblivious." Buck rolled his eyes and strolled to the gym. "Come on, tard." He called over his shoulder.

"Ass," she grumbled and followed behind, smiling like an idiot. Anise had her sidekick back.


	25. The Balance of Power

A/N – Thank you, LouiseWolff, specifically for Mathilde Archhorne and Ad Geerards. The depth of my appreciation for your contributions is ... more than epic. For wolfmadmax, fighting zombies in open spaces, to be delivered soon!

I hope everyone had a pleasant Singles Awareness Day, or as other people call it: Valentine's Day.

For all my readers, thank you for sticking with me through this journey. This would never continue without your love!

* * *

**Chapter 25**

_**The Balance of Power**_

Price, an average white dude with a neatly trimmed and molasses thick goatee, lobbed the Frisbee at O'Keefe, a stereotypical short ginger. He laughed when it pegged O'Keefe's shaved jaw and bounced away, its new trajectory over Berger's head. An impressive leap into the air and Berger caught the wayward toy. Grumbling, Price stalked out of the improvised game boundaries while O'Keefe fist-bumped his teammate.

Smiling victoriously, the lean blonde flicked it back across the field, aiming high. She might be great at catching it, but was terrible at hitting anyone, so she was merely trying to avoid the disc being caught. Most of the time, that strategy had worked for her. Determined to catch it, Anise exchanged a look with Buck. He grinned and crouched as Anise ran toward him. She leapt, planted a foot in his waiting hand, and he launched her over his shoulder. Elegantly, she snagged the disc as she executed a mid-air flip. Anise landed on her feet, brimming with pride and sweating like a racehorse.

"Dammit!" Berger threw her hands up and stalked to the line of commandos on the sidelines. Sweat-damp strands of blonde were tucked behind an ear. Jenkins patted her shoulder. The woman harumphed.

It was their fourth game of increasingly ridiculous plays. They had decided to play it like dodge-ball this round, and it had resulted in bruises, hilarity, and extreme competition. Every time, the disc was thrown higher, farther, faster by the panting, smiling players. Denny and Anise had been separated from the beginning, no one trusting their Frisbee experience. The kid had turned out to be a top-notch player, so the commandos had felt vindicated in their unanimous choice. Buck switched sides every game. He worked incredibly well with both veteran players, causing havoc to the opposing team.

Denny applauded with fervor from his spot along the wall. Jenkins' lips tugged up on one side as he looked down at the kid. The other members of the security team shouted encouragements, booed, hissed, and generally made as much noise as possible. Beside them, dozens of Haven residents added their own happy noise. Anise's impulsive game of Frisbee had drawn quite the crowd. It was the closest thing to a sporting event that the facility had experienced since the TV stations stopped broadcasting. Fresh faces trickled in every moment, drawn by the excitement and noise. No one seemed immune to the lure of shameless fun, even Dr. Brandon's cranky face had a smile on it.

The entertainment had already spawned talk of forming sport teams, a drama club, and various other activities that had previously been forgotten or ignored in the rush of survival and the drone of life in Haven. There was also a general consensus that Havenites wanted to see a Frisbee competition between Anise's Keepers and the captain's security force. Anise thought she would be only too glad to oblige. She launched the disc back to the other side, laughing as Morrison barely avoided the projectile.

"Come on, Morrison. I'll stand still for you." Anise taunted, presenting her butt and tapping it lightly.

He rolled his eyes, even though he was smiling. His arm flexed, ready to throw the Frisbee.

"Ms. Barrows!" A voice called out, muffled by the crowd's noise. No one else had heard it, so Anise pretended not to either. Morrison let the disc fly, speeding at Anise's feet. She yelped and leapt up and over. It skidded on the stone floor, swerved up and whacked Buck in his shin.

"Youch! Dang, LT."

"Ms. Barrows!" That annoying voice warbled again. Recognizing it as Ingrid, the Council's lapdog, Anise purposefully ignored the call. Someone from the crowd tossed the Frisbee back from the sidelines. She was the only one left on her team. It was her versus Morrison and O'Keefe. A moment later, she was running full-tilt at the men. At the dividing line, she whipped the toy into motion, sending it blazing toward Morrison.

The lieutenant grimaced and reached out. He misjudged the Frisbee's speed, smacking his knuckles instead of grabbing the disc. His knuckles changed its direction toward O'Keefe. Poor guy was too slow to dodge. "Oomph!"

"Oh. Damn." Anise cringed. The Frisbee had hit the man's nose with a nice little _crunch_. Blood trailed down from his nostrils. Fox was already jogging toward him, her medkit in hand.

"MS. BARROWS!" Finally, Ingrid had made it close enough that her shrill bellow was heard over the crowd's cheering.

"What, Ingrid?" Anise grumped. Just freaking won the game and could not enjoy it. Figures.

"Mr. Klein sent me with a summons. The Council would like a meeting with you."

"OK. Sure. I'll drop by later."

"Now, Ms. Barrows."

Self-important little rat, Anise raged to herself. She managed to keep her tone fairly civil. "Excuse me?"

The crowd's enthusiasm had dimmed upon seeing the star of their show frowning at the unpopular right hand of the Council.

"Spice, is there a problem?" Morrison had appeared by her side. Anise nodded at him, appreciating his loyalty.

"I don't know." She turned back to the sharply chic woman. "Is there?"

Ingrid adjusted her tailored suit jacket. "The Council has summoned you. They were very adamant that you come right away."

"What the hell does the Council want with me today?"

"I'm afraid that I'm not privy to that information."

"Of course not." The enhanced woman muttered.

Buck caught Anise's eye. 'What's wrong?' he mouthed.

Shrugging, she asked Ingrid. "I don't suppose I have time for a shower?"

"Unfortunately no." Ingrid wrinkled her nose.

"Super."

By that time, Anise's sidekick had made his way to her side. "So, we've got a date with the almighty Council huh?"

Ingrid glared at the teen. "Ms. Barrows has been summoned, not you, nor the lieutenant, Mr. Buck."

Anise took a moment to grumble to herself that no one addressed Buck by _his_ given name.

"Yep. Which means we're coming." His polite, charming smile was echoed on Morrison's face. "Unless Spice says otherwise."

Oh, she loved her favorite sidekick. Anise winked at him.

"Mr. Buck," Ingrid began, her voice full of self-important, long-suffering patience.

"Is definitely coming with me." Anise finished for her, straining to keep her smile polite. Really, she envied Buck's effortless charm.

Ingrid looked about ready to pop, flushed cheeks and dilated eyes, even her heartbeat thumped a little louder. "Ms. Barrows!"

Dropping all pretense of being polite, Anise growled. "Call me that again, and I'm going to have to rearrange your perfect hair. You can address me as Spice, or don't address me at all."

Rose-colored, lipsticked lips sealed together, forming little lines along the edges, giving Ingrid the appearance of looking much older than she was. And Anise guessed that Ingrid couldn't be older than thirty. The woman was actually very attractive with caramel, flawless skin, a runner's figure with just enough softness to be called curvy, glossy ink-black hair, and barely there makeup that was beautifully applied to enhance Ingrid's dark bedroom eyes and heart-shaped face. All of her was very drool-worthy. Anise detested the Argentinian woman with a passion that she reserved especially for ruthless bitches who really had slept their way into power.

The woman's jaw clicked, and she swallowed angrily. Her dark eyes glared into Anise's hazel. "Spice."

Anise honestly tried to restrain the smirk that lifted the left side of her face. Her partial success was not lost on Ingrid, and the woman's tightly controlled rage reminded Anise of the late Spence Parks. Great, just what she needed, Anise bitched to herself, another asshole extraordinaire.

Ingrid threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin haughtily. "Lt. Morrison and Mr. Buck, if you would please follow me."

Behind the sulking bitch, Anise and Buck fist-bumped, sharing silent, triumphant 'yea's!'. Morrison sighed quietly.

* * *

The room that the Council met in was more of an audience hall. It was designed to be impressive and imposing with dark colors, expensive and exotic furnishings, gold leafing on the molding, and everything was angled so that you had to look to the front. A raised dais held three posh, executive chairs on which the three most powerful people in Haven sat. Anise and her companions ignored the chairs available to sit it. They also ignored Captain Jonathon Dough, who was unhappily glaring at her and Morrison. Guy couldn't seem to decide who he detested more. Anise had thought about telling _John Doe_ the many ways she wanted to see him end up with a tag on his toe.

"Ah, Anise. Lovely to see you." Cheerily greeting her was Andrew. Suave business suit and swanky tie, sitting in a posh leather chair, dark hair perfectly streaked with gray, he still looked like the business magnate that had funded the resistance from the beginning. Andrew Klein was head of Klein Mining Industries, that had been Umbrella's only true rival in the games of money and power. Anise had heard stories of the great arguments between him and Albert Wesker, CEO of Umbrella Corporation. He cocked his head on seeing Buck tromp in behind Anise. "Buck and Lt. Morrison as well. I'm excited to see that you seem to have patched up your relationships."

The short, lean little man was almost omnipotent, but rather friendly and eccentric. He wasn't a bad guy really. It was the company that he kept that Anise was not a fan of.

"New development." Anise deadpanned. Beside her, Buck choked back a laugh. She had trouble keeping her face serious. As usual, Morrison was studiously professional. "What did you want?" Relatively polite, Anise responded. Looking at the trio of well-dressed Council members, she was very aware of her sweat-soaked gym clothes.

It was Mathilde Archhorne who responded, her speech clipped and formal. "Ms. Barrows." Correction, Mathilde Asshorne. "We find ourselves in need of your unique assistance."

Anise straightened her posture, narrowed her eyes, and raised one eyebrow. "Unique assistance?"

Ad Geerards, Anise wondered what kind of culture his odd name came from, stroked his snazzy brown and gold tie and met her curious gaze. "Unfortunately, yes."

Whatever they wanted, Anise thought, it rankled them to admit needing her help. A smile danced on her lips, though she remained cautious of anything the Council asked her to do. "How is it that you find yourselves unfortunately in need of my one-of-a-kind help?"

The three members of the Council exchanged glances. Mathilde frowned, Ad nodded, and Andrew smiled. They returned their various expressions to the enhanced woman. Andrew straightened his jacket. "Anise, we would like you to lead an expedition to an Umbrella facility located in the Big Apple."

"New York City?" Anise squeaked.

Andrew chuckled. "The city that never sleeps."

"You're fucking serious?" The enhanced woman demanded.

"You'll accept, won't you, Anise?" Andrew's smile continued.

"Of course she will." Mathilde scoffed. "The woman has been scraping to get out since she got here."

Ad's dedicated stare unbalanced Anise more than the crazy request to send her away. There was something about the guy, with his soft accent that she couldn't pinpoint, and the unnerving gaze he frequently used. It wasn't that his expression was vacant. No, it was more than expressive. What it was expressing was what Anise could never figure out. Ad was almost impossible to read. She peeled her vision away from his, feeling sweat trace a cold trail down her spine.

Completely bewildered about how this had happened, sentences evaded Anise. "Explain. Now."

"Arrogant little dyke." Mathilde muttered to herself, entirely aware that Anise could hear her, judging by the smirk on her darkly painted lips.

Fists curling painfully, Anise bit her cheek in an effort to stay civil. Going outside without a fight, hell, she'd do a lot to see that happen.

"Well, you see..." Andrew began, only to be cut off by a gesture from Ad. The small man dipped his head and relaxed into his chair.

"Anise." His simple tone gathered her attention. "One of our contacts within Umbrella says that the corporation has developed a cure for the T-virus."

Silence settled in the chamber for several long moments before Anise realized they were waiting for her to react. That they had contacts within Umbrella was no surprise. Why ask Anise though? "Sounds dandy. Why me?"

Ad smoothed out a stubborn wrinkle in his jacket. "Mr. Briggs is already waiting for us to send someone to retrieve him and the cure he's carrying. But for obvious reasons, he can't trust just anyone. And the only faces he knows are my own and Mrs. Archhorne's. She and I are bureaucrats, not fighters. We likely would not survive to even see Mr. Briggs."

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Anise nodded.

"The only other person whose face he knows is yours, Anise."

Oh. Anise's lips pressed together tightly. There was the reason that the Council was willing to let her go. A real cure, stolen from under Umbrella's nose. She was willing to bet that Albert Wesker was the only person that Asshorne liked less than Anise. Thinking about that reminded Anise of the uneven balance of powers in Haven, of the conditions her people were forced to endure, and of her loyalties to her Keepers and friends. There was one thing she was willing jeopardize her chance at sunshine for. She swallowed her pride.

"I'll go." She said.

Andrew smiled, and the others wore satisfied expressions.

"If you let Morrison take teams out." Anise sucked in air. "At his discretion."

Morrison's breath stumbled. The Council's faces grew dark.

"Ms. Barrows," Mathilde began.

"I will not negotiate on this." Anise said. She met each of their eyes, fiercely. Several silent moments passed.

Buck cut through the tension with his casual smile. "These aren't the Halls of Moria, and we are _not_ dwarves."

"What?" Mathilde looked confused.

Ad grinned boyishly.

Andrew laughed.

"Everyone is desperate for a little sunlight." Buck continued. "The area outside Haven can easily be modified for a park."

"Mr. Buck..."

"Has a most excellent point." Ad intervened. "Come now, my friend, I've heard you moon about missing your walks outside."

The uptight woman's expression shifted to one of longing. Anise could barely believe it. Buck was a genius.

"I admit I'd love to get a sunburn." Andrew said.

"But, sir! The danger reported by the scouts..." Captain Dough sputtered.

"Is danger every one of my team is well aware of. So are most of the civilians." Morrison met his 'superior's' angry gaze. "Those that are not can be educated. Haven needs fresh supplies. The people need to go outside."

"We are creatures of the sunlight." Buck added. "Going out, facing the danger, feeling the wind on their faces will remind everyone of hope."

"Hope." Quietly, Andrew seemed to taste the word on his lips.

The captain's face stalled; his jaw flexed.

Buck focused his charming blue eyes on Mathilde. "It's time to start living again."

All eyes settled on Buck and Mathilde's staring contest. With great effort, Anise kept her mouth shut.

"Hope." Mathilde said.

"Hope." He echoed, still smiling at her.

The Council members looked at each other. No one asked the fuming captain for his opinion. Heads nodded. Mathilde spoke, much to Anise's surprise. "Lt. Morrison will be in charge of the forays outside from now on." She smiled wistfully. "I do miss sunbathing." Her features hardened as her eyes settled once more on Anise. "Ms. Barrows, assemble your team. Be ready in three days. We expect you to see Dr. Brandon for last minute exams before you leave."

Anise kept her scathing retort about where the woman could shove the exams to herself. "Sure thing."

Feeling the dismissal, Anise and her backup made their exit. Morrison radioed to Jenkins that the team should continue the game without them. The guys began an earnest discussion about the logistics of the journey as they stepped back through the polished oak doors. Anise followed behind, unable to keep her mind from tuning them out. She was going outside again.

Rain was out there. Somewhere.

Anise smiled at Buck. She was well behind him, so only his shaggy blond mop saw her eyes glisten and her chin tremble. Hope indeed. Heart full, she lengthened her stride to catch up with her friends. She threw her arms around both, grinning from ear to ear.


	26. Honor

A/N - Le gasp, an update, so soon?

Just because I can vent, I'm going to. I hated writing chapter 25. Stupid thing had to be rewritten four times, and I still don't like the way it turned out. Maybe I need to torture myself with more time around politicians and bureaucrats. Maybe then they won't be so hard to write.

Oh yes. Fair warning: I'm employed again... so add the time I spend on campus and the time I _should_ be studying and time at work and those rare hours with friends... That leaves about zero time for writing. Unless I stop sleeping. That may happen. Glad we got that settled. Carry on.

* * *

**Chapter 26**

_**Honor**_

Most all of Haven turned out to say goodbye. Hundreds stood outside, basking in the early dawn haze. Anise inhaled deeply, listened to the world waking up, and trembled. She was under the open sky again. No stone nor dirt sat between her and the sun any more.

Suddenly, Anise was beset by fear. Outdoors, there weren't any solid rock walls to protect her and Buck from zombies and other T-virus monsters. Great. Just fucking great. Anise palmed her face.

Buck poked her. "What?"

"Finally above ground again, and I'm afraid. Fucking got used to the solid protection."

"Didn't have to worry about things trying to eat us all the time."

"Yea."

Their discussion was cut short by a vaguely familiar woman walking up to Anise and hugging her, gushing a teary goodbye, then turning and jogging away. A man wrapped his arms around the spontaneous hugger and nodded at Anise's confused glance.

"Uh?" Anise looked at Buck.

The teen shrugged and watched as another random person wished Anise farewell, hugging her and patting her shoulder. Then the man, Drake she recalled his name, shook Buck's hand, and asked him to make sure that Haven's favorite troublemaker came back safely. This continued with many other residents. Although the majority were people that Anise remembered from the journey across the country, some were original Havenites, and others were those that had been been initiated since. Embracing a couple that she clearly remembered hearing talk about the enhanced woman being a freak of nature and how afraid they were of her, Anise wondered when the hell that attitude had changed. They moved away and another from the long line of well-wishers took their place.

Several expressed profound gratitude for Anise's contributions to Haven, most especially her heroic battle with the Council the other day. Anise groaned to herself, realizing someone had told the populace that she had been willing to sacrifice her own time outdoors to ensure everyone's chance at sunshine and fresh air. It went on like that for what seemed hours. When it stopped and no other teary eyed Havenite stood waiting to invade her personal bubble, she swayed on her feet.

Buck was still by her side. "I am so glad we said the important goodbyes already. Exhausting much?"

"Yea." Nodding in agreement, Anise glanced around for her chosen team. Jenkins and Berger stood beside their Humvee. Their goodbyes having been far less extensive, they looked bored and more than ready to leave. Berger noticed Anise's regard and gave her a thumbs up. Jenkins dipped his head.

The other duo of their small group was a pair of the captain's scouts. Chelan and Hoffman were reasonable, experienced, and very capable men. They had volunteered for the journey, saying that the recon around Haven was getting dull. After a half hour interview, Anise, mostly with Morrison's encouragement, had accepted them into her team. She looked over Hoffman, taking in his tanned features, unremarkable Caucasian face, no obvious accent, and lean frame. Hoffman seemed an average sort of guy. He was friendly enough, had adequate courage and acceptable hygiene, and a casual manner. Easy enough to get along, he would readily followed her orders, didn't matter to him who commanded.

Chelan was a little thicker, larger framed, with Native American features. His jet black hair was kept in a short, shaggy cut, under a Yankees ball cap. He had a New England accent, maybe New Yorker from the way he lengthened his 'O's' or Bostonian from the way he said _kah_ instead of car. Not that it mattered, except to Anise's curiosity. Like Hoffman, he would take orders from Anise without question. His exact words had been 'I know you aren't big on being in charge, unlike the cap'n, which was half the reason we asked to join you.'. Both of them appeared eager to hop in their Humvee as well.

Satisfied and more than ready to hit the road, Anise started to move toward the Jeep Cherokee she had decided to take. It was the same one she had almost run away in, before Tanya had stopped her that fateful day. The sight of Morrison jogging toward her made her pause. He came to stand a few feet away, looking at Anise expectantly. "Ma'am."

"Yea?"

"I didn't get the chance to say goodbye earlier." Morrison offered his hand to shake. Anise glared at it until he dropped it, his brows knit, lips slightly pursed. He was hurt.

Idiot.

Anise grabbed the man, pulling him into a hug. "Didn't think I'd settle for an impersonal handshake goodbye? Come on now."

His arms tightened around her middle, and she could hear him swallow heavily. "Wouldn't dream of it, ma'am."

She leaned back, hands on his shoulders. "Brad."

His voice caught. "Anise?"

"Keep 'em safe, OK?"

"With my life."

"Of course you'd say that."

He smiled

She rolled her eyes.

"I hope you find answers out there."

"Me too." Anise felt a sob try to close her throat. She made a joke to break through it. "I'll look for a hot piece of man-meat for you while I'm at it."

He chuckled, eyes damp. "And we thought the dating pool was slim before the world died."

They looked at each other. She studied his face, taking in his nicely groomed beard, handsome features, and familiar, loyal eyes. She was definitely going to miss the man. Wind played with Anise's hair, sending locks of it into her mouth and eyes. She tucked it back behind an ear, growling when the wind snatched it up and sent it back into her face. Morrison grinned at her losing battle.

Anise gave up fighting her hair. The wind let up. She cursed Mother Nature before giving Morrison her attention again. "See you in a couple months."

"Yes, ma'am."

They stepped apart. Morrison inclined his head toward the people of Haven, milling around the area. "You should say something."

Pouting, Anise faced the crowd. She didn't have a clue what the hell to say, and stood there like an idiot. Sunlight broke over the horizon, bathing them in gold. Many pairs of eyes closed and faces tilted toward the burning globe. A new day had dawned, full of possibilities and tender new hope.

Hope. Ah hell. It was so damn cheesy, it would do. She filled her belly full with air and cried out. "For hope!"

The crowd cheered wildly, and the sound of it instilled something wonderful in Anise. Somewhere inside, a warmth began, spreading out until it touched every part of her. How she loved those people, every damn one of them. She'd bring them back their promised hope.

* * *

Eight days into the journey found Anise once again covered in zombie gore. A routine stop at a gas station in a small Iowa town had gone about the same as usual. Anise and her team had carved their way through a small horde to get in, fought off dozens while gas was plundered, and then battled their way out of town again.

"I miss my shower." Anise complained while scrubbing herself in the cool creek water.

"Never thought I'd hear you say you missed anything about Haven." Berger chuckled as she brushed her wet hair.

"I miss lots of things about Haven. It's the part where it's under-fucking-ground that I don't miss."

"What about the noise?"

"Huh?"

"What's it like, having ears like a cat?"

Anise looked at Berger for a moment. "Are you asking what it was like to become a mutant?" Her tone was not accusing and the other woman nodded thoughtfully.

"I suppose I am."

"Did you ever spend any time in a big city after a long period somewhere quiet?"

"As soon as I turned eighteen, I moved to L.A. from a small town in Oregon where I grew up. So, yes."

"The noise of the city was overwhelming at first, right?"

Berger nodded. "I got used to it."

"So did I. The extra noises became background. Novelties like hearing heartbeats became everyday things."

"What about headaches or anything? Wasn't it hard for your brain or something?"

Anise's lips curled and her eyes squinted. She was a little confused on how to answer. "Wait. Are you talking about that Daredevil movie?"

A light blush tinted Berger's cheeks. "Yea. Ben Affleck was such a stud muffin in that leather outfit. I had to replace my DVD after it got scratched from watching it so much."

"Jennifer Garner was pretty yummy in her own leather."

The women both chuckled at their respective sex-driven motives.

"You didn't, don't have the issue that Murdock did? Sounds invading your head don't give you migraines?"

"Nope. I'm glad a comic book wasn't a guideline for my mutations. My enhancements just became part of me. My brain adjusted just fine to the extra information. I suppose it was odd at first, comparing the new sounds to memories of old ones, but the changes were gradual, smooth, easy. Knowing someone's bowel movements by sound is not my favorite thing in the world, but hey, I can hear heartbeats. And those," Anise inhaled, smiling happily, "Are _cool_."

* * *

They were in the foothills of the Appalachians when Anise cocked her head, hearing something. The wind whispered in her ears, bringing sounds not quite matching their quiet surroundings. After telling her team to keep a sharp eye out, she went to investigate.

The woman crested the hill and looked down to see a biker gang in the valley. Every one of them was heavily armed and looked ready for a fight. OK, so most of them were in suped up trucks and SUVs, but they looked like a biker gang with their dark leathers, American flag bandannas on their heads, Harley Davidson and skull tattoos proudly displayed on biceps and forearms. She was too far away to hear what they were talking about, though she imagined it was the usual daily shit and crude jokes. While she looked down, gaping and trying to decide if she should go down and say 'hi', she heard a scuffing and someone's sharp intake of breath. She turned around, ready to snap at Buck for following her again. The snarl on her lips died upon seeing a man standing not fifty feet away, wearing camouflaged gear and a compound bow in hand, its string drawn taught. An arrow glinted in the midday light. It was seeing him release his held breath that had Anise jumping behind a tree before the arrow took flight.

As the guy snarled about missing, readying another arrow. Anise thought about drawing her gun, but realized the man had a good reason to not shout for his friends. If either of them made enough noise to draw their groups, a bloody fight would follow, with many deaths on both sides. She wished she had not left her ax in the Jeep while she drew her knife. The man's eyes widened a little, seeing her ready herself for a fight, then he smiled and stood there, waiting.

Anise ran at him, eyes on his, hoping she could dodge or deflect the next arrow. He let it fly when there were no large trees nearby for her to duck behind. She blinked, and her knife arm twitched. The arrow's head sparked on the blade, and it whistled harmlessly past her. The man dropped his bow and drew his own knife, settling into a crouch. His casual ease would have scared Anise if she wasn't already so hyped on adrenaline that the thought of a good fight made her smile. At the point where she was close to enough to leap, like the heroes in movies would do, she instead made like a baseball player and skidded.

The success of her knife slicing open his inner thigh when he belatedly tried to jump away was a good enough reason for her to not act like an action movie hero. Behind him, she hopped to her feet, twisting for a backhanded slash at him. Again, her knife drew blood. Too bad it was shallow and had been hampered by the sturdy leather vest he wore. Her opponent growled as he counterattacked, moving fluidly despite the blood soaking his pants. They parried and dodged, dancing across the forest floor. Anise had to wipe sweat from her face so she could see. His blade caught her on the forearm a breath later.

"Shit," she hissed.

His response was a menacing smile. The man was a veteran, she realized. Not just a veteran knife fighter, no. Fuck no. Her luck was way worse than that. On his left forearm was bold ink: **Semper Fi**. And above that was a globe, eagle, and anchor. Motherfucker was a former Marine! While they stood panting, glaring at each other, Anise took a moment to thank Morrison for his sparring sessions. This bandit may be a tough son of a bitch, but Anise had Joyce and Deon's training, Morrison's experience, Project Afterthought's enhancements, and her own unique style.

Anise started laughing. She hadn't had so much fun in _ages_. The Marine didn't seem disturbed by her abrupt laughter, in fact, his smile widened.

"However this ends, ma'am, it's been an honor." His tone and freely offered respect was so much like Morrison, it sent a pang of sorrow through her heart. Anise worried if she could kill this man when it came time for it. She thought of Buck, waiting for her to return with a report. Her worry was assuaged. Anise would kill to protect her brother.

She nodded. "It has been fun."

"Yes." He licked his lips and flexed his fingers around the knife hilt.

A heartbeat later, and he moved. Anise had lost her knife to a lightning fast blow before she realized the guy was in her face. She slipped out of his reach just as his blade ripped across her shoulder. A millisecond slower and that knife would have opened her throat. Hissing and regretting her earlier arrogance, she rolled away, popping back to her feet in time to block with her left hand, followed by a punch with her right to his throat. He choked and bent forward, free hand coming to his damaged throat even as Anise kicked low, connecting her foot to his knee.

The man crumpled, though he still held onto his knife. She brought her own knee into his jaw, snapping it back and sending his body to the ground. His blade fell from his hand. Anise snatched it before he could and drove it into his face. It did not kill him immediately, having missed his brain. The knife had gone only through his sinuses, and he started nails-on-chalkboard screaming.

Heart thumping hard enough to break through her chest, she looked at him in horror. "Oh shit!" She whimpered, pulling out the metal, hearing it _slurp_, and slamming it into him again.

He stopped screaming, and his body grew still. Anise fell away from him, her chest heaving for air. Her eyes were glued to his destroyed face, and the bloody hilt sprouting from his forehead. With great effort, she forced herself to look away and stand. She hurried to look back down into the valley. The gang had not heard their comrade's death throes. She forwent her radio, figuring that she had no idea if the gang was listening to their frequency.

"Lucky break." Anise moved to run back to her Keepers, saw her own knife flash in the sunlight and hesitated a moment before grabbing it. Her eyes switched to the body of the archer, and a shudder passed through her. "Freak out later, save lives now." Muttering to herself, she slipped her knife into its sheath.

Ignoring her screaming shoulder wound and conscience, Anise bounded down the hill.

The team babbled excitedly, tossing ideas back and forth, wondering what the other group might do, if it was worth the risk of exposing themselves to make new friends.

"If they're waiting to ambush us, there's no way we can get past them without a fight. Not unless we backtrack thirty miles and try to find another highway."

"That could mean days of extra travel."

"So, we go through them?"

Hoffman chirped. "Hope they're just the attack first, ask questions later type instead of highwaymen?"

"Assume they're bandits trying to kill us, steal our supplies, and rape our women." Chelan's addition to the discussion was delivered in such a dark tone that killed the conversation. Suddenly furious, Anise mentally dared someone to try and rape her or Berger. Said woman glanced at her, eyes just a little too wide, jaw a little too tight. Anise's anger dissipated, realizing the stark reality that if caught unaware, subduing either of them would be all to easy. A simple rope would be all it would take to make them both sickeningly vulnerable.

The guys must have noticed the womens' shared thoughts because their faces lost the excitement brought on by the idea of battle. Her team was remembering that people who weren't infected could be far more dangerous than a horde of zombies or a T-mutant ever could.

Expression stony, Buck spoke. "We assume they're ruthless bandits and act accordingly. Their scout did attack without provocation, and Spice's description of them sounded like they were waiting for a fight. Chelan and I will snipe from the hill. Anise, since you can move like a ghost, make sure there aren't any hiding in the shadows, cause chaos from behind. The rest of you, drive the vehicles and stop just before the bend in the road. Jenkins and Berger will guard Hoffman while he uses the mounted gun. Let them think we're all in the cars. Guerrilla warfare, everyone." Standing in his Keeper gear, speaking with such authority, Anise could barely think of her sidekick as a teenager any more. He had grown up a long time ago, and she wasn't referring to his bear-like frame.

The two new Keepers looked taken aback by Buck's command and glanced at each other, then to Anise. She nodded. "Unless you have a better plan, get your asses in gear."

"Yes, ma'am," sounded from every Keeper's mouth. While her team busied themselves, Anise grabbed her ax and a flashbang grenade that Buck had squirreled away. Buck, Anise, and Chelan moved up the hill. Halfway up, Anise looked back, wondering why the others hadn't started driving yet.

"I told them to wait a few minutes, give us time to get in position." Buck said.

Anise faced him. "Oh."

They continued up, Anise in the lead. On the peak, she avoided looking at the corpse by beelining to the overlook. The biker gang looked agitated, moving restlessly. Several heads kept looking up toward their position. "I think they're worried about their scout."

"He must be late."

The sound of moving vehicles reached Anise, and she relayed that info. Buck nodded. Chelan found himself a nice position facing where the vehicles would end up. A steadying breath, and Anise looked at Buck. Her hand clutched his forearm, feeling his solid warmth. She took a moment to listen to his heartbeat. Feeling his larger hand cover her's, she opened her eyes.

Buck smiled at her. "I'll stay alive if you do."

Anise grinned back. "Deal." Before more words could ruin the moment and put their lives in more danger, she sprinted away.

* * *

"Please don't kill me." The greasy haired gang leader was on his knees, groveling before Anise. She wiped blood and sweat from her chin. Four others like him were still alive, also on their knees and awaiting the tall woman's judgment.

"You were going to kill us all." She said.

"Nothin' personal, just trying to make a living. Ain't you seen the shit world we live in now?"

"We live in the same fucking world," she spat. "None of us have any intention of acting like medieval bandits, ambushing and killing travelers for their meager possessions. Why the hell would you turn to this when there are thousands of empty stores and homes with plenty of supplies?!"

"There's demons, the walking dead in those places." He sobbed.

"Pathetic piece of shit." Berger growled quietly.

Anise glanced over her shoulder, nodded in hearty agreement. "And what about how you treated the women in your group, huh?"

Grease-head seemed confused. "We ain't got no women."

"Exactly. What's a group of healthy men doing tramping about without any decent women when there's no place to call home, no ports to sail back to?"

He swallowed.

"You aren't all gay, are you?"  
Anger flushed his cheeks. "Are you calling me a fucking queer, you bitch? When I get outta this, I'm gonn-..." He trailed off on seeing Anise's fury etched into every feature and quivering muscle.

It took every ounce of self-control Anise had not to bury her ax in his head. She leaned close and hissed into his freshly terrified face. "Bastards like you give men a bad name."

"If we let them live, they'll come after us for revenge." Buck spoke quietly, too low for the prisoners to hear.

Anise looked away from the prisoners to the distant horizon. She knew he was right. But, killing these men now, was it right?

"They didn't give us much choice." From beside Buck and Berger, Jenkins softly added.

Anise brought her gaze down to look at Chelan and Hoffman on the other side of the kneeling men. The two scouts couldn't have heard the others' opinions, yet they obviously realized Anise's silent question. They exchanged glances. Hoffman shrugged. Chelan looked at his rifle for a moment before he spoke loudly. "Your orders, ma'am?"

Chewing her cheek, she watched the prisoners squirm as they realized their fate rested in the hands of a woman they had previously thought to use as a disposable plaything. That thought helped make her decision a little easier. These men, if left alive, would threaten the lives of her team, other innocent survivors, and possibly the people of Haven some day. Anise leaned her ax against the Jeep and drew her pistol. One of the bikers pissed his pants and began sobbing, crying for his mommy.

Anise felt hot tears sting her eyes. She flicked off the safety and pointed her Ruger at the man she had spoken with. "For the attempted murder of my people, I sentence you to death." That sounded proper, right? She asked herself, stalling from pulling the trigger.

He stared at her, dumbfounded.

Just do it, she told herself, working up the courage to do what was needed.

"Aw, come on, lady. We won't cause you any more trouble. Honest. I'm sorry we..."

BANG.

His body fell to the pavement. Tears dripped down Anise's face. She pointed her gun at the next man, yet the weeping blurred her vision, and her arm trembled. One of the prisoners got to his feet and tried to run. Someone shot him.

"I've got this, ma'am." Chelan spoke. His rifle reported another death. And then another. And another.

Through the sobs, Anise managed to speak. "Let's get their bodies off the road. Their vehicles too. Check the cars and bodies for anything useful, especially dry goods. We're short on those." Hell, they'd always be short on food with her metabolism.

Without any of their usual banter, the team obeyed her orders. She worked alongside them, combing through the gang's former belongings, picking out useful items and stowing them in her vehicles. After driving the trucks out of the way of the road, she had their tanks siphoned, then made her way to the Jeep. She waited for Buck, and when he was beside her, asked if he would drive for a while. He nodded. Anise gave the Keepers orders to start looking for a place to camp within the next couple hours. Once they were all strapped in, she put a hand on Buck's shoulder. "Thanks for staying alive with me."

"You too." His expression was strained, but he did not look ready to collapse into a shivering balls of tears yet. "Now eat something and take your nap. You need your strength to cuddle with me later."

"Oh, do I?"

"Yes." He dragged a bag of jerky from under his seat. "Eat."

"I love you too."

A real smile softened his features, returning them to a young man instead of the wizened soldier that had just left a battlefield. "Yea." Buck turned the key, released the brake, and put them back on the road.

* * *

They sat around the fireplace of the vacation cabin. The windows had all been covered to keep the firelight from attracting unwanted attention, so Chelan and Hoffman were outside on guard duty. Buck and Anise were putting together a puzzle they had found half-finished on a table. Talk was limited to things like 'hand me that piece', 'report', or 'dinner's ready'. It was not an uncomfortable quiet. In fact, the cabin felt very cozy with the dinner fire crackling, and the complicated jigsaw puzzle distracting the duo. Berger was reading a book she had picked up the day before, and Jenkins was cleaning his guns.

Even though the fire made it too warm inside the cabin, it was still a comforting thing after their difficult day, and no one moved to put it out. Besides, sitting in a tank top and shorts instead of the hoodie and pants Anise would have been wearing in Haven was still a novel change that she loved. Buck snagged the piece she had been holding and plugged it into the puzzle.

"Hey, that was my piece!"

"I figured out where it went."

"It was my piece, dammit."

"Pay more attention."

"I swear you two are worse than my little brothers ever were." Peeved, Berger peered at them over her book.

Anise snorted. "Sorry, didn't Mom and Dad pay you enough to put up with babysitting us, old woman?"

"No. I'm demanding another twenty bucks when she gets back." The book became her focus again.

Buck and Anise exchanged glances. As they stepped away from their puzzle, Anise grabbed her full cup of water.

"What're you reading, Berger?" Buck asked, stepping into her light.

Anise slunk around him, made a shushing motion at the silent Jenkins, and waited eagerly for her chance.

"I was reading _Fifty Shades of Gray_." She grumbled and made shooing gestures at him.

"Really?" Anise plopped herself in Berger's lap, arm with the cup slipping around and above her shoulders. "I've heard about that. Does that stuff get you all hot and bothered?"

"Get off me, you horse." Berger glowered at Anise, who smiled.

"Sure thing." She upended the cup over Berger's head and hopped out of her lap.

Berger's screeching was worth the possible trouble it could draw, and the pain her in her ears. She bounded away from the woman's outraged swipes, but didn't notice the flying book until it whacked her upside the head. A little dizzy, she swayed. Jenkins pushed at her from his spot beside the door where he had been sitting all evening. Berger caught her, twirled her around, and shoved her out the door that Jenkins had casually opened.

"You too, get your gear and her's. It's _so _your turn for guard duty." The blonde barked at Buck while Anise held her aching head.

"What the hell did you do?" Chelan laughed as he approached.

Hoffman looked unsure if he should laugh or not.

Berger's face appeared in the doorway. She leveled a death glare at them all. "Tonight is a practice in silent operations." She withdrew into the cabin. A moment later, Buck stumbled outside to join Anise.

"I'd rather face zombies." Hoffman muttered. Anise heard his stomach growl, then he entered the cabin. Hunger won over fear every time, she chuckled.

Buck handed Anise her a bundle. It was her jacket wrapped around her boots, utility belt and all its accesories, and her headlamp. Anise plopped to the ground and began to tie on her hiking shoes. Her sidekick joined her and tied the laces of his hastily thrown on boots. "At least it's not as hot out here."

The cabin door opened briefly. Anise's ax was tossed out to join them, sending both troublemakers hopping away from their spots where the ax was aimed. "Oops. Sorry." Berger's vindictive smile just visible in the dim light. The door shut soundly.

"Bitch." Anise hissed.

"We deserved that." Buck said.

"Yep."

The siblings started laughing, leaning into each other when their merriment stole their breaths and pinched their sides. After Anise caught her breath, she nudged Buck.

"What?"

"Wanna see if that burrow we found earlier has anything in it?"

He flipped on his headlamp to the soft red light. "Maybe it'll be a zombie badger."

Before they started off on their little adventure, Anise spoke softly. "Hey, Buck?"  
"Huh?" The young man paused and looked back.

"Am I still a good person?"

He scratched his jaw. "You remind me of Batman."

Anise thought that was a compliment.

"He started out fighting for revenge, but along the way, fighting bad guys and protecting the innocent became his new mission. In some universes, he was even celebrated as the hero he really was, took on an orphaned child as his own, protecting him and teaching him the ways of honor and truth and family. Robin was a badass sidekick, too." Buck smiled.

That was way more than a compliment. His comic book reference settled her nerves far more than the philosophical discussion she had been expecting. She smiled back.

"So, zombie badgers?"

Anise put her foot on a rock and pointed her ax like a sword. "Onward, my good man. Let's see what trouble awaits us in these foreign lands."


	27. Bewildered

A/N - Allo!

ehh... On a completely unrelated side-note: I went to see the great Sand Hills Crane migration-the largest animal migration in North America, and one of the largest in the world. Being surrounded by thousands of noisy birds was a little disturbing at times, but very cool. Also, if anyone has a tricked out street racer they'd like to donate to me, I would love you to pieces! Since I'm wishlisting, can I get a hot lil mamacita to go with that car? Mmm racing. I miss doing that...

Because I adore my readers: For those of you who insist on knowing when Rain will return, if you PM me with your demand, I'll tell you...

* * *

**Chapter 27**

_**Bewildered**_

Quite clearly, she knew she was in an Umbrella facility. The logo stood out proudly in polished steel artwork along the wall. Fresh blood spattered across the gleaming metal. A body dropped, its throat sliced open by the knife she held in her hand. Hot adrenaline shot through her, making her feel featherlight and invincible despite the bullet hole in her left thigh. Pain shot through her leg with every movement, but it was a distant thing, white noise in the background.

Another guard surged toward her, swinging with his nightstick. Her right arm came up, deflecting the attack, quickly followed by her left hand punching the guard in his ribs. As he gasped, her right hand swung the knife into the unprotected neck. She jerked it back out again with a snarl. Warm blood sprayed across her face, and then across the already stained Umbrella logo when the guard twisted and fell. The guard flopped on the floor, blood gurgling from his mouth and throat for a few strangled breaths. His eyes grew dim as his crimson life flowed into the sticky puddle from others like him. Tears slid down his face, and then he lay still.

"God dammit." She hated it when their deaths reminded her that sometimes, the idiots working for Umbrella were normal people who got stuck in bad situations. Kind of like her. Impatiently, she shoved those thoughts aside and glanced at the computer's display. It showed that the download to her portable drive was at eighty percent. Just another minute or so, and she could get her happy ass out of this awful place. A smile of relief danced on the corner of her lips.

CLUNK.

With wide eyes, she jerked her attention back to the open door of the small office. _Something_ was out there, and it was getting close. She shivered at the feeling of danger that throbbed behind her eyeballs. Eighty-four percent flashed on the monitor. Damn. The download would definitely not be done before trouble showed up.

CLUNK. CLUNK. SWISH.

"Ah, come on," she groaned. Eight-six percent. "Fuck." The puny knife in her hand was so not going to do any good against whatever was making those loud noises and sending chills down her spine. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Her knife had flicked out of her hand and lodged into the sneaky guard's forehead before the Umbrella employee could fire her weapon.

"Now, that's what I'm talkin 'bout." She grinned toothily as she plucked the hefty Armscor shotgun from the dead woman's hands. Feeling much better with the sturdy weapon, she took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes to ready herself for the rigorous battle she could feel coming. Her body relaxed, and then the world faded away.

* * *

Anise squinted open her eyes to see the interior of the Jeep full of intense August sunlight. She fumbled for her sunglasses that she hadn't needed before her nap, and gratefully slid them over her eyes. Sitting up from her reclined chair, she pulled the lever to raise the seat-back. She resettled herself, listened to the Lacuna Coil CD that was playing, and watched as Buck drove them up a fairly steep incline, swerving around burned out vehicles. A bump in the road rattled her jaw, and she blinked. "That's weird."

"What?" Buck looked over from the driver's seat.

"Another one of those dreams. Bodies, blood, Umbrella, and something creepy as shit about to attack."

"That sounds normal. Not weird."

"Yea. I know. The weird part is I didn't wake up sweating and wanting to cry or scream in terror."

He chuckled. "That is kinda abnormal for a nightmare."

"Exactly. It was terrifying while I was in it, killing Umbrella goons, feeling their hot blood on my face, dripping into my mouth."

Making a face, he stuck his tongue out.

"It was like," she fumbled for the right words. "Uh..."

Buck gave her a 'get to the damn point already' look.

"Waking up was like changing the channel on TV in the middle of an interesting episode. TV doesn't ask questions, doesn't have lingering emotions. It just freaking gives you something new to look at." Thinking about what it meant or didn't mean was giving her a headache. Idly, Anise rubbed out a cramp in her neck and looked out at the steep drop-off on the other side of the metal barriers. "We're still in Pennsylvania?".

"Yep." Buck said. "I think we might make Jersey by tomorrow afternoon." He smoothly avoided a giant pothole by clipping and driving aside a burned husk of a car. Preempting her questions, he kept talking. "Passed a tanker about half a mile back. It was totaled, probably was carrying a full load when it crashed. Everything since has been cooked. Fire traveled uphill. Heat must've played havoc on the cold highway this spring."

Anise nodded, looking at the scorched slope to their left. Many trees had been reduced to charred stumps. The road ahead was riddled with bubbles, cracks, and potholes. She glanced in the mirror. Behind them, the two Humvees followed, shaking and bouncing along the ruined highway. Berger's blonde hair flashed in the bright sun. "Damn."

"Huh?"

"I'm so glad to be outside again."

"So you keep saying."

"Damn right."

They smiled brightly at each other. "Hells yea!" Buck hollered, following it with a high-five that his sister heartily slapped.

Anise joined his raucous bugling. "Woot!"

* * *

On the road following alongside the Hudson River, Anise eased the Jeep to a stop. Both she and Buck stepped out to stretch and look over the final leg of their journey. She knew that they were on the Palisades, a pretty awesome geological feature that she wanted to explore. Sadly, she pushed aside her curiosity. Zombies and their mission would never give her the time to play. The two Humvees, and their respective commandos joined the siblings. Sunlight sparkled on the mini waves in the great river and bounced off of the hundreds of abandoned cars, buildings, and the metal of the incredible bridge.

"That looks pretty fucking impossible." Berger remarked.

"Yup." Nodding, Anise agreed wholeheartedly. The George Washington Bridge, connecting New Jersey to New York City, was a tangled mess.

"Maybe we should take a boat across." Hoffman said.

Jenkins pointed back at their vehicles. "We're going to need these sturdy, reliable vehicles in that deathtrap of a city."

"What about the ferry?" Hoffman asked.

Berger looked at him. "Do you know how to operate one?"

"No." Hoffman frowned.

No one else knew either.

"And even if we could figure it out, do you want to have to fight your way into it, then clear it out, then fight your way out of the damn thing on the other side?" Berger pointed out.

"What about another bridge?" Hoffman tried a new tact.

"Do you really think we'll find a bridge into fucking _Manhattan_ that isn't a ridiculous traffic jam?" Chelan prodded his partner.

"Well..."

Chelan snorted. "You know as well as I do that traffic into the city was awful no matter what time of day it was, let alone a city full of panicking, infected, dying idiots."

Hoffman sighed. "Man, you always gotta pop my bubble."

The Keepers continued to argue on the topic while Anise tuned them out, looking around the area. She heard some infected fumbling their way toward them. Inside a minivan parked on the other side of the street an infected dog with a plastic cone around its neck scrabbled at the windows. Beside it, a mangled child pressed its ravaged face to the bloody, grimy glass too. Parked behind that was a new model Chevy 3500 with a bright yellow V snow plow attached. "Gregg's Outdoor Services" with a cartoon lawnmower trimming grass that grew out of the letters was painted on the side of the enormous pickup truck. The doors were closed, and the windows were fully intact. If they weren't about to traipse into New York City, and had the extra hands to drive it, she would have insisted on appropriating it and taking it back to Haven.

Sighing, Anise returned her gaze to the clogged bridge. Though she could only see the sunlit upper lanes, she knew the shadowed lower level would be just as impassable. One roadtrip visit during her second year of college had fixed that knowledge thoroughly in her memory. It had taken almost two hours to cross the bridge with her then girlfriend and their mutual friends, who were also a couple, in the backseat. They had killed time by making out and getting honked at by cranky drivers behind them. All in all, it was a good memory, pulling a smile to Anise's lips.

"This is fucking bullshit!" Hoffman's frustrated cry returned Anise to the present.

Having distanced himself from the squabbling group by climbing to his Humvee's top, Jenkins had pulled out binoculars and was perusing the area. Bored, Buck was shooting nearby zombies with his silenced rifle. Perfect shots exploded infected skulls. Hoffman, Chelan, and Berger looked at Anise.

"The Humvees won't fit on the pedestrian walkway." Anise offered.

"Shit." Hoffman grumbled and plopped his ass on the warm concrete. Berger's gaze lingered on Anise for a moment longer, and then she moved to join Jenkins' side. With a grunt, Chelan dropped beside his teammate.

The faint sounds of the zombies in the minivan drew Anise's attention again. She wondered why the dog was wearing a cone. "Think he just got neutered or something?"

"Huh?" Buck lowered his rifle, blinking in confusion.

"The dog." She pointed at it.

He followed her gesture. "Maybe. I wonder which one was infected first."

Anise shrugged.

"Probably the dog. The cone was most likely to keep him from chewing on the bandage they would've put on the bite."

"Good hypothesis."

"Think there was still snow on the ground when the kid got eaten?"

"Who knows." She shrugged again.

Buck shot down another infected. "This year, when it snows, let's have a snowball fight to celebrate not being trapped indoors anymore."

Hazel eyes were drawn back to the shiny silver truck. Tires looked new. Poor owner had probably spent a shiny penny installing those tires just to die without getting to wear them out. The chrome detailing was excellent and undoubtedly reflected good care of the engine. Its snow plow was scarred from use, but its connections to the trucks had little rust and no damage. "Maybe we coul-..." Her words drifted away. She looked back at the bridge, then back at the snow plow.

"Spice?" Her sidekick's voice was full of curiosity and a little hope.

"Oh, this is going to be fun." A full-blown smile, promising mischief and mayhem stretched her lips, pinched her dimples, and exposed her teeth.

Buck narrowed his eyes. His vision flickered from the snow plow to Anise. He blinked. Then, he looked at the bridge. "I love the way you think!" Thrilled, he laughed, shouldered his rifle and called to his fellow Keepers. "Come on, kids. Spice wants to break shit."

The Keepers' attention caught, he waved it to Anise, who was stalking toward the Chevy. Jenkins' eyes widened, and he smiled one his own rare grins. "Thank the Lord for crazy women." His blonde teammate giggled, hopping down from the Humvee roof after him.

Hoffman and Chelan exchanged bewildered looks. "The hell is going on?" "I don't get it."

Coming to stand next to them, Berger shook her head. "Gentlemen, you haven't spent nearly enough time with our dear leader."

Jenkins actually chuckled.

Anise glanced over her shoulder and winked, thinking to find a calendar and mark on it that Jenkins was laughing. She turned back to the truck, happily opening the side door and crowing in victory when she saw the keys. They plainly visible, attached to a clipboard that stuck out of a full duffel bag. Whoever had been about to drive the truck had probably forgotten something inside, yet never made it back out to the truck. Though the stench of a rotten something dulled her excitement a little, the cab didn't hold any T-virus undead, and the engine turned over after a few choked tries. The gauges fluttered for a sec, then settled and displayed positive readings. A three quarters full tank cheered her further.

Styx played softly from the speakers, reminding her of hours spent in the shop with her uncle. The man had been a huge classic rock fan, and it wasn't unusual for him to burst into song. He would hold whatever tool he had in hand to his mouth and sing with every off-key ounce of strength he had. Picturing his grease smeared face and filthy coveralls, acting like a little kid and dragging his mechanics into duets had her smiling toothily. Anise twisted in the seat to face her equally grinning team.

"Whatcha think, inbound or outbound lanes?"

* * *

Near the planned meeting spot, the convoy paused in a quiet section where Anise didn't hear anything too troublesome. She stepped out and decapitated a few nearby zombies. Their heads bounced along the sidewalk, leaving behind chunks of hair and goop. One of them had a mouth full of gold fillings. They sparkled in the midday sun, beautiful and completely worthless, like so much else from the old world.

While Anise and Jenkins busied themselves with chopping apart undead New Yorkers, Buck got on the radio and switched it to the frequency they had been told Mr. Briggs would be monitoring. "Golden, this is Mama Goose, approaching coordinates. Please respond."

Static crackled back. Buck tried a few more times, before giving up and shrugging.

"Maybe he got bored and left?" Hoffman joked.

"He probably got his ass..."

"This is Golden." The radio buzzed with a stranger's voice claiming Briggs' codename. "I'll believe it when I see it. Stop when you've reached the coordinates and step out of the vehicle."

What an ass, Anise griped silently.

"He sounds pleasant." Voice heavy with sarcasm, Buck noted. His response, however, was perfectly genial. "This is Mama Goose. Response acknowledged."


	28. When Nightmares Become Reality

A/N - Happy Tornado Season, everyone! *dances around the muddy yard in bare feet, face tilted to the rain. grins widely at the crack of thunder.* - soon, soon the thunderstorms will be upon us... and I really will dance in the rain again!

Not exactly happy with this chapter, but I'm tired of revising it. :D You can't sue me for being lazy!

Avarenda, you have a keen eye for foreshadowing ;)

* * *

**Chapter 28**

_**When Nightmares Become Reality**_

Buck muttered, "Just like every other place in this stupid city, it looks like a perfect ambush site."

Anise set the parking brake and nodded. "Yep."

They hopped out, quickly surveying the area. The quiet and complete lack of infected sent a shiver down Anise's spine. Her team exchanged wary glances. A scuffing sound caught the enhanced woman's attention.

"Movement." She gestured in the direction, and her team went into a defensive posture.

Several breaths later, Briggs stepped out of the shadows of the building. She knew it was Briggs from the photo that Asshorne had given them to study. If she had brought the picture out and set it next to his smarmy face, it would have matched perfectly. Almost too perfectly. Did he have a barber hiding with him too?

"Mama Goose." Briggs smiled pleasantly.

"Golden." Buck acknowledged. "Good to see you healthy and whole."

"Always a great day to not be in pieces." Briggs answered the code phrase, further proving his identity. The Keepers relaxed, shouldered their weapons and moved in closer, smiling. Anise, however, had the opposite reaction. Her muscles tightened, her eyes flickered nervously, and her fingers edged toward her holstered pistol. She even had to resist taking a backward step.

Something about Briggs set Anise's teeth on edge. Maybe it was his freshly shaved face, his clean and styled hair, or his recently laundered clothes. Or maybe it was how he ogled her like a piece of meat and eyed her teammates like useless garbage. It could also have been how he had swaggered out from the building, not looking like the hunted dog he claimed to be nor seeming very worried by the constant threat of the hungry undead. Then again, maybe it was how he dithered with pleasantries, smiled too much, didn't invite them inside, and refused to show them the cure he was supposed to have.

Anise was wondering about these inconsistencies while Buck handled the talking. Annoyed and distracted, her sensitive ears almost didn't catch the faint whisper of a radio transmission.

_"We're in position. Whenever you're ready, sir."_

It took too many precious seconds to realize that it had come from Briggs' ear. The damned earpiece must have been a micro insert that she would have had to be breathing down his neck to see. Anise's hand closed around her Ruger and began to pull it free.

The man who claimed to be an ally, to have risked life and limb to secure the cure to the T-virus and deliver it to the resistance, smilingly put a gun to Chelan's head and pulled the trigger. Hammer hit the bullet, setting off the minor explosion that projected the little bit of metal and created the sound concussion that pained the enhanced woman. Horrified, Anise watched as Chelan's head exploded in slow motion. His dark hair parted, then the skull cracked outward like a broken egg, spilling forth the yoke and white. Except, it wasn't an egg's innards, and the soft insides didn't ooze out. It was sticky brain matter, veins, fluid, and cranium, and it all sprayed out like the displaced water in a pool as a fat guy cannonballs in.

The metal slug went through the Humvee window, shattering it, and the one on the other side as well. It impacted somewhere in the gloom of a broken doorway. What was left of the Humvee window was covered in Chelan. Dripping, sliding, falling gloop that once was a man. Anise's pistol pointed uselessly at the ground, held by a numb hand. She couldn't drag her eyes away from Chelan's dead eyes. He wouldn't laugh at any of her dumb pranks ever again, and he wouldn't be shooting down Hoffman's bad ideas anymore either. Anise flailed to recover from the idea of losing someone under her command. His life had been her responsibility, and she had failed him.

Trembling, she thought she should do some heartfelt sobbing, but after a few forced blinks, realized she was far too angry for that. Her eyes instead narrowed at Briggs, who was laughing at the Keepers' screams of shock and outrage. Umbrella goons stepped out of the shadows and rappelled down the sides of the buildings. Their sudden entrance with their clunking equipment, thumping boots, and harsh breathing was unbelievably noisy after the long silence of the dead city.

"Move and we kill you all." Briggs shouted.

The Keepers stuttered, hands halfway to their weapons. Anise was beyond pissed that she had not listened closer, caught the sounds of the mercs before her team had stepped into the trap. Living in Haven all that time had dulled her survival instincts.

"Don't forget we want the brunette alive." Briggs muttered quietly, for his earpiece alone to hear.

Dumbass must have forgotten about or really didn't know how powerful Anise's ears were. Realizing he meant to kill her Keepers anyway, the rebel leader snarled and regained control of her body, finally pointing her gun at the duplicitous bastard. Briggs' body jerked to one side, then the other as Anise's bullets tore through him. His eyes widened and blood spurted from his mouth. Anise smiled, happily focused on watching Briggs die.

It was the mercenaries' uncertainty at the loss of their leader, and Jenkins' quick thinking that gave them a chance to escape. He shouted out the code signal for a flashbang as he tossed two of the concussive grenades at the enemy. They covered their ears and eyes in time to avoid being blinded and deafened like their enemies. Buck tossed smoke grenades while Hoffman and Berger fired their guns randomly. Jenkins grabbed hold of Anise's collar and dragged her toward the dubious safety of an alley, her finger still pulling the trigger of her empty gun.

* * *

Next to a battered semi-trailer, they were taking a much needed breather. Times Square was definitely not on their list of safe places to be, but they had to fucking rest. Between the persistent Umbrella assholes and the herds of zombies that infested the popular city, Anise and her crew had barely had two minutes to stop and breathe.

There was a delicate clicking sound that only Anise heard, followed by the very loud grinding noise of heavy-duty locks shifting that everyone noticed. It was coming from the trailer that they had taken shelter near.

"That cannot be good." Anise muttered.

By unspoken consensus, they all hustled away from it as fast as possible. Fifty feet away, Anise's ears caught the sound of the trailer door beginning to open and something else.

SWISH. CLUNK. SWISH.

"No fucking way." Anise's eyes grew wide as saucers.

After running all night, and dodging Death all the next day, Anise figured that she was at the end of her energy reserves. If Buck had thought to ask her if she could possibly be scared enough to summon up fresh adrenaline, she would have told him that he was a blazing idiot. As it turned out, she could. Very much so. Bitter and hot, a new serving of adrenaline whipped her body into a frenzy.

CLUNK. CLUNK. CLUNK.

The trailer door was halfway open. She stumbled backward. "No way that's real."

"What?" Hoffman demanded.

SWISH. SWISH. CLUNK.

Oh, damn. Damn. Damn. Damn! That was definitely the same sound from her dream, though in reality it was much louder and way scarier. Great, just fucking fantastic. Nightmares were now coming to life. Both her mind and bladder threatened to release their tender holds on sanity.

CLUNK.

Trembling, Anise pushed at the weary man, gestured to the other two. "We gotta get out of here."

Hoffman stumbled, stalled, pissed Anise off, who was by then so wigged out on fear, exhaustion, and adrenaline that she screeched into his ear. "MOVE, DAMN YOU!"

* * *

When its shadow appeared around a corner, the first thing Anise thought was 'crocodile'. "Holy fucking elephants, that thing is _massive_!" Anise barked. Damn thing had to weigh at least a ton to make the ground shiver like that. A big ass crocodile with legs and a neck like a land predator was not something she really wanted to be chased by. Thinking about how big its teeth must be made her want to curl up under a blanket and suck her thumb, pretend that the boogeyman didn't exist. "We are so boned."

* * *

Over a random soda can, Hoffman tripped and fell. While rubbing his head, the mob of infected currently chasing the team fell on him, ripping out his cheeks and throat and forearm skin before the weary Anise could lift her gun. Her eyes locked on his, watching the poor man's final moments, unable to fight against the yanking of Jenkins. The stoic Keeper pulled her along, whispering between pants, "There's nothing to do for him. Stop and we all die."

Anise did the only thing she could think of. She shot him in the head. As she ran away, she tried really hard to ignore the memory of his eyes pleading with her to save him before they softened with relief, and he smiled bravely with half a face. She wished he would have frowned. That way his anger would let her hate herself for doing something horrible. But no, now she got to feel helpless for being backed into a corner and forced to do the worst thing possible, in the worst possible situation. Her twisting thoughts tried to strangle themselves while her running feet tried to keep her alive.

* * *

Crouched behind a dumpster, Jenkins fixed his serious gaze on Anise. He laid a hand on her shoulder and dipped his head at her. Confused at his sudden touch and attention, Anise blinked tiredly. His gaze shifted to Berger. After a little ironic twitch lifted the corner of his mouth, was echoed by a melancholy Berger, he released Anise.

_No._ Anise's mind jerked in sudden realization. He was not going to...

Jenkins dashed out of their little foxhole, running like a madman across the open field. The T-mutant gave immediate chase. Anise started out, to run after him, to save him, something, anything, but Buck's and Berger's strong grips held her back. Together, her friends yanked her in the opposite direction. Somehow, Anise managed to keep her mouth shut, stayed silent, didn't draw the monstrous creature's attention, and let Jenkins' suicidal endeavor give her time to run away.

When Jenkins' screams reached Anise's ears, enough distance was between them that only she heard his noise. Her young sidekick and her willowy bodyguard weren't subjected to the sick, tortured pain of Jenkins' final moments. To them, he was already dead, had already died a hero's death. Anise was reminded of Rachel, Terri's sister, who had martyred herself in Raccoon City to give Anise and her little group a chance at life. When his screams faded, she wondered if she would ever get the opportunity to die for someone else, instead of watching her friends die to protect her.

* * *

Central Park was a lot wilder and scarier than Anise remembered. It also had a whole lot less people, noises, and horses. The place did have a lot of untamed grass, decomposing bodies, and debris piled up in the corners by wind. Even with the heavy scent of rot, funnily enough the place smelled nicer without the stench of human civilization weighing the air down. Twilight's shifting colors was warning them that they really needed to find proper shelter soon, or they would be running around blind.

"Hard to believe we were trying to figure out how to get in this city just yesterday." Berger muttered.

* * *

The three remaining fighters became separated when yet another herd of zombies surrounded them. Buck disappeared in the cloud of dust, flying body parts and smoke from the volley of grenades he let loose. Berger yanked on Anise, who numbly limped after her, staring at the smoking spot where her brother used to be. Curiously, she watched the trail of blood from the gashes in her thigh lead away from the blast site. Too tired to be angry and too numb to cry, Anise stumbled over a crack in the pavement and fell. Berger picked up her, slipped Anise's arm over her shoulder, and kept her from falling again.

* * *

What was left of Berger's body flopped to the dirt. The mutant chewed noisily, crunching bones and meat in its super-sized mouth. Anise stared at the body of her friend, who had saved her life yet again by shoving her aside and screaming insults at the monster until it focused on her. Berger was dead now, her blood and innards spilling out, turning the dirt into reddish mud. The woman's upper third and left arm were gone, along with Berger's head and sun-kissed hair. Loud swallowing drew Anise's horrid attention up. Her sore, puffy eyes watched as the mutant leaned down, opened its gore-streaked jaws, and bit off another chunk of Berger burger.

"NOOooo!" She shrieked, the sound tearing out of her chest and ripping from her throat. Berger was the last of her team. They were all dead now. Anise had only herself to rely on. Herself and her shredded leg. It hurt like hell, was painful enough to make her weak and nauseous, to set her teeth to grinding, her head pounding, and her mouth cotton dry.

Berger was dead. They were all dead, because of her. She forgot about her leg.

The T-mutant ignored her, continuing to chew its meal. Its tail swished mildly from side to side. CRUNCH. SNAP. CRUNCH.

"No. No. No. No." Her sobbing mantra preceded the tears slipping down her face, over her blood-stained cheeks, and dripping from her quivering jaw. Reflexively, her hands tightened into fists, which she pounded into the soft ground. Anise folded into herself, crying, her ears full of her own sobs and the crunching, slurping, grunting of the beast eating her last Keeper. In the back of her mind something was screaming to get up, to run, to fight, to do something, anything besides waiting for death on her knees.

"I failed them all." Jenkins. Hoffman. Chelan. Berger. Buck. Her brother of the heart. Dead, because she was too arrogant, too oblivious, too slow, too weak to protect them.

CHOMP. SLURP. CRUNCH.

Bitter acid preceded her lunch as it pushed its way up her throat and out of her mouth. She choked and gasped, then vomited more. Her abdomen clenched, her body shuddered, and then her throat convulsed. More retching followed, but there was nothing left to come up. Snot joined the spittle trailing from her lips to the puddle of sick. She spat chunks from her mouth.

CRUNCH. Anise watched the monster's throat bulge and heard the wet, slippery noise as its mouthful of Berger meat was swallowed. The T-mutant laid a paw to Berger's body, and its jaw clamped onto a thigh. SLUSH. SNAP. SNAP.

Anise squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the gruesome image of her friend's body being eaten. It didn't help. Gore, entrails, dripping blood, and shredded uniform were already memories burned into her eyeballs. "Fucking useless. What's the point anymore?" The monster's meal would be finished soon. Afterward, it would come for her. Then she wouldn't have to fight anymore, wouldn't have to watch anyone else die, wouldn't have to wake up alone. She welcomed that thought. Her eyes opened.

Resigned to death and its peaceful embrace, Anise sagged. Her arms stretched out, her head dipped back, and her fingers dug into the soft dirt, feeling the coolness of it beneath her palms. A memory of a day spent at the park with her parents, when Anise was just a little girl, flitted through her mind's eye. It had been sunny and bright with a light breeze to cool the sweat accumulated from playing all day. Her father tossed her a Frisbee, laughing and running to catch her return throw. Completely engrossed in their play, her father had crashed into a tree, skinning his arms and shoulder. Anise had run over, mind full of worry and guilt, but her father had laughed it off and so had her mother. In fact, her mother had swatted her father across the back of his head for being foolish enough to not see the tree.

Drunk on the memory, Anise sighed. "I'll be with you soon," she whispered into the blood-drenched air. Anise's body completely relaxed. Her arms bent, fingers curled in on themselves, and her head dropped to the ground. Actually, her head thumped on something plastic. Mildly annoyed and curious, she pulled whatever it was from under her head and brought it in front of her eyes.

It was a Frisbee, an obnoxiously bright pink fluorescent Frisbee with glittery stickers on the top. The underside proclaimed that it belonged to _jenny_ in slippery, messy kid handwriting. An unwelcome lump of hard emotion lodged in the woman's throat as she thought of little Denny and everyone in Haven. Morrison, Joyce, Deon, Tanya, and the remaining Keepers flashed through her mind's eye. Anise wasn't exactly alone. Not if she could get back to Haven or find Rain or Carlos or LJ or even the bitchy cheerleader along the way.

No fucking way could she give up now. She sat up, brimming with fresh determination. Anise darted a look to the mutant that had moved on to Berger's final remains. Minutes, if she was lucky, were left to her. Hot, vicious anger whistled just under her skin. The lump forced itself up her throat, past her clenched tongue, and through her sealed lips.

"Shit."

Spurred by the crisp emotion, Anise looked around the ruined park for anything that could help her kill the monster that had eaten her Keepers, her friends, her family. Her vision was drawn to the overturned Army truck, and its mess of boxes and rotten bodies. The T-mutant was almost done with its meal. Anise used her remaining time to limp her way over to the boxes, to pry one open, muffle her squeal of joy, and load a warhead in the RPG she had discovered. Hoping it was loaded correctly, positioned to fire, and ready to go, Anise set her sights on the T-mutant.

Blood dripped from its jaws, flesh and ruined clothing dangled from its giant teeth, and it was looking at Anise. The monster looked like it was smiling.

"Eat this, you fucking prick." Rage warred with heart-break in Anise's trembling voice. She heard the click of firing mechanism, and the hiss of the rocket before it blew past, sending her hair flying. She suddenly realized the T-mutant was barely a car's length away. "Oh, shit." She had just enough time to turn away and duck her head before the explosion threw her into the air. With a loud thwack, she collided with a tree and then thumped into the hard dirt.

Smoky heat washed over the abused woman, singeing her already ruined hair and tender skin. Chunks of monster and dirt thumped into her. Damn, she would have some nasty bruises later, she complained irrationally to herself. New tears streamed down her face, this time from the acrid smoke following the explosion. She coughed as the smoke and dust invaded her lungs. Something above her head creaked. Through the tears and smoke, she looked up. Leaves shuddered, followed by another grating creak. Then came cracks and the shrieking of splintering wood.

Too late she realized that the explosion had affected the giant old maple tree she had been thrown into. Too late to completely dodge the heavy tree limb that suddenly released its hold on the trunk and dropped. Too late to stop the despairing thoughts that ran through her mind just before she lost her grip on reality.

_ I'm always too fucking late._


	29. Padmé, Kool-aid, and Bumblebee

A/N - Hiiiiiiii  
So, I've started another fanfic - a Fast and Furious one. With another Mrod character and ofc...  
And some people seem to think I need to work on other writing projects as well. *grumble, smile, snort*  
But... I'm excited about this chapter and where it's leading to, and I hope you are too! My goal is to have chapter 30 up by mid June. From there, I can finally bridge together several chapters that have been gathering dust since last July.

* * *

**Chapter 29**

_**Padmé, Kool-aid, and Bumblebee**_

"Owwww!" Anise jerked upright, or tried to. There was fucking tree keeping her hips pinned, and a very rude zombie trying to eat her left leg. Like she didn't already have enough injuries on it. "Get off me, you bitch." She kicked at the undead teenage girl, who still had a set of headphones dangling out of her jacket.

The zombie's head cracked sideways, but came back to bite again. Anise kept kicking while her hands groped for something to put through its head. Without warning, the zombie's head exploded and behind it appeared a young girl, who couldn't have been older than ten. The kid had a silenced pistol in hand, pointing where the infected head had been. Her big brown eyes were wide with surprise.

"You're not dead."

Anise blinked. Then she blinked again. The tiny, dark-skinned, doe-eyed girl was wearing stained, torn clothing and a pink backpack. She had two pigtail braids of black hair tied with purple fuzzy bands. Her shoes had sparkly purple glitter and Dora the Explorer waving merrily on the sides.

"Hi," the enhanced woman finally replied.

A set of little footsteps ran up to the two females staring at each other. "Why'd you waste ammo, huh? Ya know we..." the second child, a boy, almost identical to the girl, trailed off, noticing Anise. His dark hair was fashioned in a dirty faux-hawk; he wore what used to be a bright yellow t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown hiking shoes; his backpack was green with the Ben 10 logo. "You're not dead," he stated accusingly.

Anise blinked really hard this time. Young children carrying guns, acting like adults, and shooting zombies hadn't quite been inducted into her sense of normal yet. "Um. No."

Behind the boy, Anise heard another body moving. An older girl, who bore the same basic features as the twins approached. Her outfit was simple and sturdy, so were her scuffed boots and filthy backpack. Close up, Anise guessed her to be of high school age, though her wary eyes and twitchy posture told the story of the harsh life of everyday survival and demanding adult responsibilities since the apocalypse. "What're you two looking at?"

The girl's gaze fixated on Anise. "You're not dead."

There appeared to be an echo.

"Not that a lot of effort hasn't gone into trying to kill me lately, but I'm quite alive and really could use some help getting this tree off of me."

The girl's face tightened. "You've been bitten."

Anise sighed. "And it fucking hurts. Not the worst that's ever happened to me."

"Her leg looks like something was trying to eat her, but she's not changing." The boy said, pointing curiously.

"Nor will I. See, I'm kind of a special case."

"People don't recover from bites or scratches." The teenager frowned.

"No. Normal people don't. I'm so not normal that Umbrella is still trying to kidnap me. I'm immune to the T-virus." Anise explained.

The children did not look convinced and even looked ready to leave.

"Please. Just help me move this heavy bitch. You can leave me far behind afterward."

The twins exchanged glances and shrugged. They looked up to their older sister for her decision. "What's your name?"

"Spice. What's yours?"

Several breaths filled and emptied Anise's lunges before the girl responded. "I'm Padmé, and this is Kool-aid," she pointed at her now smiling sister. "And Bumblebee," her brother waved merrily. Her intense, dark gaze reminded Anise of her missing soldier, and she started agonizing, yet again, about where Rain could possibly be. Padmé's sudden, resigned sigh pulled Anise from her reverie. "Alright. Let me find something for leverage. Kool, Bumble, keep sharp eyes out."

"K." "Yep." The twins answered, faces turning serious, and their attitudes turning right to business. It had Anise blinking again.

Padmé's return was swift, and she was carrying a sturdy tree limb that had fallen with the mess trapping Anise. The girl wedged the tip under the log and used an empty ammo box as a fulcrum. The twins put down the curious zombies that kept wandering too close.

After many minutes full of grunting and sweating and cursing, Padmé and Anise managed to maneuver the heavy tree away. While the young girl panted and rubbed her aching palms, Anise clawed her way upright. Her mangled leg angrily protested the weight, but held. Anise's stomach growled. With the humility that only someone who had long ago accepted the fact that she was a slave to forces beyond her control, Anise asked the children if they had any food. And not just a snack, but a full meal.

"You're asking for everything we have." Padmé balked.

Anise nodded and replied, her voice gentle and sincere. "It's my metabolism. I can't go as long as normal people without eating." She sighed, "especially when I'm injured. I lost a lot of blood fighting that thing. I think I got shot too." Craning her neck, she poked at a long wound on her side.

"You _think_ that you got shot?" The teenager demanded.

"Well, I'm not sure if it was a bullet or the T-mutant. Too much flesh has already regrown to tell." Anise spoke, still looking her body's injuries over.

"What the heck do you mean, too much flesh?"

Anise looked up to see the teen's face flushed and features pinched. Her heartbeat had that funny flip-floppy pounding of anger. Oh, oops, she thought. It had been a long while since she had met someone new and had to explain her superpowered body. She lifted her shirt to show the knitting flesh. "See?"

"That looks days old. What are you trying to pull?" Padmé's eyes narrowed further, and her hand inched toward a knife strapped to her thigh.

Biting her cheek, Anise thought quickly. Bites! she suddenly had an idea. "Here. Look at this." She slowly pushed her right arm forward, pointing at her palm where the skin of her palm was slightly discolored along a neat semi-circle. "I was one of the first people to be bitten by a zombie. It took a chunk right outta my hand."

"It's kinda weird. Doesn't prove anything."

Anise sighed, then perked up quickly. "Look, here. A zombie just bit me before Kool-aid over there shot it." She proffered her leg, pointing at the fresh bite that already had scabbed over.

"No way. Look, I helped you out, now stop trying to..."

"It's true, Pad! I saw that dead girl do it." Kool-aid came to Anise's defense.

The girl's eyes flitted between her sister and the enhanced woman. "How the hell?" Her mouth snapped shut, her heartbeat skyrocketed, and her eyes fixed on a point over Anise's shoulder. "Oh my god."

Anise didn't have to turn around, she could hear what was coming. Fuck, dammit, dammit, shit, her mind raged. There had to be at least a hundred shuffling feet scuffing the pavement. Her eyes darted around for a weapon. Leaves and debris were everywhere. She picked up a stout branch that would do for a staff.

"Kool, Bumble. Time to go." The siblings moved quickly in the direction opposite of the approaching horde.

Anise limped behind them. Painful though it was, she kept pace with them as Padmé expertly led them through the maze of the park. They were about to exit the park and head into the city when Anise dove alongside the girl and yanked her to a stop, putting her hand over the mouth about to yell in complaint. "Shh. Not that way." She hissed.

An indignant arm pointed back toward the direction of the horde. It was close, but their little group was several minutes ahead of it.

"I hear people out there, probably an Umbrella squad."

"I don't care if they're Umbrella, they won't try to eat us!" The girl hissed back.

"No. They won't." Anise's voice leveled out, low and angry and sadly serious. "They'll just kill you and your little brother and sister," she stabbed a finger at each kid in turn, "As they try to capture me alive."

The siblings stared at her in shocked disbelief.

"How do you even know they're out there?"

"I can hear them."

The girl stared at Anise, darted a glance at the horde, looked toward the street, and back to Anise. "Who the hell are you?"

"Anise Barrows, leader of the resistance." She replied glibly. "Look, I'm going that way. Join me or take your chances."

She moved along the edge of the park, staying just out of sight of the road. Seconds later, she heard the little family following in her wake. Glad, she continued on, keeping her pace fast enough to stay just ahead of the zombie horde until she heard one of the kids stumble. She paused, turning to inspect her companions. Both children looked exhausted. Bumble watched as Padmé picked up Kool-aid and started walking with her. Despite her own tired, aching body, Anise didn't hesitate to offer the boy a piggyback ride. Though his older sister eyed her with disbelief, the kid readily hopped on her back. Anise was very glad for the support her staff gave her. The added strain of forty pounds of small child was almost more than she could handle.

Tromping along the park's boundary was getting even more difficult, and the sweat from her efforts was thickening. Luck smiled a little on her. She heard the Umbrella mercs radio to each other about the approaching horde, how it was pouring out of the park, right at them, and they needed to fall back. Only a few shuffling undead were still following her tired group. Anise spoke between pants of breath. "We can cross the street now, chickens."

Padmé didn't waste her breath questioning Anise, merely clambering through an opening where the fence had been brought down by a wrecked car. There was an infected in the driver's seat, held back by a seat belt and closed door. Its face gnawed at the cracked glass while the group hastily moved down the row of abandoned cars.

They headed toward a swanky apartment building with an open door, the windows boarded, and rusted bullet casings littering the sidewalk and stoop. The reinforced door was held open by a snowboot jammed under it with a leg bone poking up from within. Inside, the floor was streaked with old blood, the litter of abandoned belongings, leaves, dirt, and a few rotten corpses. Anise heard nothing unusual, so she set the boy down and turned, panting, to help Padmé kick away the grisly snowboot and force the door closed. Before she asked for food again, she checked the alcove where a security guard or some such had been posted, the storage closet, and little hallway that led to the closed elevators.

There was a sturdy fire door that led to emergency stairs, but pressing her ear to the door revealed no hiding enemies. Padmé was kneeling beside her siblings when Anise turned around. The teen dug into her bag and tossed over a couple protein bars. Greedily, Anise caught them, tore open the packaging of one, and shoved the bar into her mouth, chewing noisily. The pasty, stale vanilla-ish flavor tasted like fucking ambrosia. She washed it down with the water she still had in her canteen and clawed open the other bar.

Sated enough to relax, Anise sat down. Without thinking, she started to scratch at her itchy thigh. She stopped just before her dirty nails could further inflame the still mangled flesh. Annoyed, she tried to rub it with her palm. Something moved under her hand. Eyes wide, heart already taken off like the rabbit at a dog race, Anise's neck whipped down, and she fixated on her leg.

Something squirmed within the exposed meat of her thigh.

She screamed. The kids dropped their snacks, cast her surprised and frightened looks, backed away, and pulled out their weapons. The thing in her leg became several things, and the pain of its movements forced out another, louder scream from Anise. "No! NO FUCKING WAY!"

"Lookit her leg." Cried Bumblebee, poiting with his pistol, worry etched into his dirt streaked face.

Anise's flesh rippled, and the _thing_ poked out a little wiggly blue blob until her own red meat seemed to rise up and engulf the _thing._ Her body was visibly fighting the T-virus, skin and muscle and bone shuddered as the _thing_ wiggled, thrust, and spazzed. More screams escaped from the battered woman, both of fear and pain.

Padmé looked toward the doorway and back at Anise, then started pushing her siblings at the emergency stairs.

Fire lanced through Anise's leg, stealing her strength, sending her boneless to the ground, and she lost track of what the kids were doing. Her entire being became focused on the battle being waged in her thigh. Every time the wiggly blue fingers tried escaping her leg or moving up to her thigh, her flesh convulsed and forced it back. Blood was running freely, in dark red rivulets, pooling on the marble lobby floor. Anise screamed and shrieked at every twitch until she lost herself to darkness.


End file.
